If you break a tooth, or have a tooth knocked out, you will know it right away. There will be pain, tooth debris, and possibly bleeding. But what if you have a crack in your tooth? Although a cracked tooth is a serious problem, you may not be aware that you have one. In many cases, a crack is too small to see during a routine dental exam, and some are so small that they do not even appear on dental x-rays.
So how do you know if you have a cracked tooth? The biggest indicator will be the pain. It will not be a continuous pain. It may be severe or mild, but it will come and go. In most cases, you will experience the pain when you are biting or chewing, or if the cracked tooth is exposed to something cold, hot, or sweet.
You should never ignore pain in your mouth, but intermittent pain may be hard to pin down. Anytime that you experience pain in your teeth, you should make a note of what you were doing when the pain occurred, and the area in your mouth in which you felt it. That way, your dentist will have a starting point when he tries to find the problem. Treating a cracked tooth may involve a filling or a crown. If the damage is severe enough, you may need a root canal or possibly an extraction.
If you have pain in your mouth, you should schedule a visit with a our dentist, Dr. Stephen Babin. If you live in the Metairie, Louisiana, area, don’t wait until the pain becomes unbearable. Call 504-887-2428 today to schedule an appointment at Stephen Babin DDS.