Does Your Cracked Tooth Need a Dental Crown?

A cracked tooth might not always be as obvious as you’d expect it to be. You may not see all of the fracture, or any of it at all, and some fractured teeth don’t always hurt at first. Even if you notice and feel your cracked tooth, you may not realize just how important it is to address it, or what your best option for doing so may be. In severe cases, a dental crown may be the best way to fix your cracked tooth and restore its ability to function. However, for more minor cases of tooth damage, you may benefit from a more conservative restoration.

How the fracture could be more serious

The tricky thing about any form of tooth damage is that it will grow worse, and threaten your tooth more severely, the longer it’s left untreated. This is due to two important factors; a tooth doesn’t heal itself when it’s damaged, and the continued pressure from your bite will cause it to get worse. Over time, a seemingly minor fracture can become a much more extreme one, enhancing the discomfort and leaving your tooth at risk for many more complications.

When a dental crown is the best option

By the time many people seek treatment for a cracked tooth, the damage is already severe enough to require a dental crown to restore it. A dental crown, which is designed to completely cap a damaged tooth, can address a tooth fracture that affects most or all of the tooth’s structure. By doing so, the crown restores the tooth in several important ways, including stopping the damage from growing worse and absorbing the majority of pressure when you bite and chew. Yet, because a crown completely covers your tooth, placing one requires modifying your tooth structure in order to accommodate the full restoration.

Fixing a less severely cracked tooth

While a dental crown can be most appropriate when your tooth is severely fractured, modern dental treatment provides several more conservative ways to restore a less severely fractured one. For example, a tooth bonding procedure may be able to restore the crack in your tooth effectively and discreetly with minimal preparation to your tooth structure. By bonding tooth-colored composite resin to the tooth, your dentist can stop the fracture from growing and restore the tooth’s strength and integrity, all while blending in with the tooth’s structure. A porcelain veneer may also be appropriate for a fracture that’s located on the front surface of a tooth, and requires less modification of your tooth structure than a dental crown.

Find the best way to fix your cracked tooth

For many types of cracked teeth, a dental crown might be the best treatment option. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Gentle Smiles in Dallas, TX, today at 972-329-7645 (972-329-SMILE).