Cracking a tooth is often painful, especially if the fracture exposes your tooth’s sensitive nerves. Even if you don’t remember when the tooth cracked or how it occurred, the discomfort can quickly become severe if it’s neglected long enough. Fortunately, treating a minor fracture isn’t the same as treating a more severe one. For example, if we detect it and treat it early enough, we might be able to fix your fractured tooth with a minimally invasive cosmetic treatment. At our El Paso, TX, dental office, we offer several different options to ensure that we can always provide the right treatment for fractured teeth of all types.
Just a cosmetic blemish
Tooth cracks are typically considered minor when they only affect the outer layer (or enamel) of your tooth. While this may not pose an immediate threat to the integrity of your tooth, it can become noticeable as food particles and plaque collect along the crack. To improve your tooth’s appearance, we might suggest placing tooth bonding over the fracture, which is the application of tooth-colored composite resin on the specific area of your tooth. The resin will be tinted to match your tooth’s unique color and shade, and can then be bonded to the tooth to correct the blemished enamel.
A fractured tooth crown
When the main portion of your tooth’s crown, called dentin, becomes fractured, it can pose an immediate threat to your tooth’s health and integrity. If the crack is deep enough, it might expose the tooth’s pulp, where the nerves and tissues are housed, causing intense levels of discomfort. Because of the significance of the fracture, you might need a custom dental crown to cap the tooth and stop the fracture from growing worse. Crowns are often crafted from highly lifelike porcelain, giving them a highly lifelike appearance as well as a sturdy, durable finish.
A vertical root fracture (VRF)
A fracture that extends to your tooth’s root, which is located within your jawbone, is known as a vertical root fracture (VRF), and in many cases, cannot be restored with traditional restorative dentistry. Instead, you may need to have the tooth extracted to prevent the fractured root from causing damage to the surrounding jawbone structure and oral tissues. We can then replace the tooth with a lifelike prosthesis, such as a dental implant, to restore your smile’s appearance and your bite’s full function.
Fix your fractured tooth ASAP
Fixing a fractured tooth is simpler than ever, and with a range of customizable treatments, we can custom-design a solution according to the extent of your specific tooth fracture. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling the Sunny Smiles dental office nearest you in El Paso, TX, today! We also have offices in Chaparral, Canutillo, and Vinton so we can easily serve patients throughout all surrounding communities.