Cracked tooth - Yahoo! Health
Cracked tooth
Yahoo! Health
Cracked tooth
A crack in a tooth may appear as a tiny hairline fracture, usually running from the top to the bottom of the tooth. Sometimes these cracks are invisible to the naked eye and often do not show up on X-rays. It may be hard to tell which tooth hurts or whether the pain is coming from a top or bottom tooth.
Suspect a crack if:
You feel sharp pain when you bite down or chew.
You cannot eat certain foods or can only chew on one side of your mouth.
Your tooth is very sensitive to hot or cold.
A cracked tooth may be caused by a mouth injury or loss of tooth structure from a large area of decay (cavity) or filling. Chewing on hard objectsÛsuch as nuts, hard candy, or foreign objects in foodÛor temperature extremes,such as when you eat hot foods and then chew on ice cubes, can also cause a cracked tooth. Other causes of a cracked tooth include teeth grinding or uneven chewing pressures.
Deep cracks can cause inflammation, infection, or death of the tooth. Prompt dental care may prevent these problems.
Credits
Author Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Tracy Landauer
Primary Medical Reviewer William M. Green, MD
- Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Arden Christen, DDS, MSD, MA, FACD
- Dentistry
Last Updated November 17, 2004
Author: Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Medical Review: William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine
Arden Christen, DDS, MSD, MA, FACD - Dentistry
Last Updated: November 17, 2004
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