Cracked Tooth Syndrome

If you feel pain in a tooth when you bite down and have been to the dentist and had x-rays taken, only to show nothing wrong with the tooth, you may be suffering from cracked tooth syndrome.  Don’t distress, there is a fix to the problem and the pain can be alleviated.  Visit us at Bondi Dental and after a proper diagnosis, we can begin treating the problem and your pain will be a thing of the past. 

What is Cracked Tooth Syndrome?

Many times there are cracks in a tooth that are so small that they do not show up on an x-ray or are below the gum line and are hard to diagnose.  These small cracks are known as cracked tooth syndrome.  Because of the nature of the cracks, this is one of the most difficult diagnoses in dentistry and many times it goes undetected. 

The Symptoms of Cracked Tooth Syndrome

The main symptom of a tooth that is suffering from cracked tooth syndrome is pain.  There is a sharp pain that you will feel when you release from a bite.  This pain in caused because the crack expands with the force of the bite and retracts when released.  This pain will vary from mild to intense and in many cases will not hurt all of the time.  It could be sensitive to hot or cold, or certain types of foods.  Sometimes the tooth will only hurt when you bite a certain way.  It is this unpredictability that makes cracked tooth syndrome so hard to diagnose. 

Diagnosing Cracked Tooth Syndrome

The only way that you can have cracked tooth syndrome diagnosed is with a visit to the Bondi dentist, where you can undergo a thorough examination.  Since a crack usually does not show up on an x-ray, a physical examination of the tooth will have to be performed.  A sharp instrument will be used to allow us to explore the tooth for cracks.  We will also place pressure on the tooth to see if we can expand the crack until it is seen.  We may even stain the tooth to see the crack. 

Treating Cracked Tooth Syndrome

There is no standard treatment for cracked tooth syndrome.  Many times it depends on where the crack is located on the tooth or how deep and large the crack is that is damaging the tooth.  Your treatment may also vary if the crack encompasses more than one tooth.

In some cases a root canal will alleviate the symptoms.  By removing the root pulp of the tooth it will no longer be sensitive to heat or cold, but many times it will still painful with the pressure of a bite.  If the crack is not affecting the root, we may decide that a crown is the best treatment.  Still in some cases the only way to stop the pain is to remove the tooth and replace it with a bridge or implant. 

At the first onset of pain, call Bondi Dental and let us help you stop the pain associated with cracked tooth syndrome.