If you sustain a trauma to the head or the mouth that results in a lost or broken tooth, there will be no mistaking it. You will have pain, blood, and possibly swelling. And, you will have a tooth or pieces of your tooth. Of course, you need to call your dentist and make an appointment to see them as soon as possible, and take steps to preserve the tooth, stop the bleeding, or reduce the pain.
A cracked tooth may be a different situation altogether. Some cracks are so small that they don’t show up during an exam or even on an x-ray. You may not remember the incident that caused the crack, and so you won’t even know that you have a cracked tooth.
So, what is the indicator of a cracked tooth? Usually, it is pain or sensitivity in the tooth. However, you will not experience continuous pain. The pain will occur usually when you bite or chew, or when your tooth is exposed to something sweet, hot or cold. In order to help your dentist find the tooth with the crack, you should make a note of where the pain occurred in your mouth, and what you were doing at the time.
Once your dentist has located the crack, they may be able to treat it with a filling or crown, or if the damage is severe enough, the dentist may treat the problem with a root canal.
If you are experiencing pain in your teeth, you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Geoff Engelhardt at Engelhardt & Nelson Family Dentistry in Fort Collins, Colorado. You can reach our office at 970-484-4890. We’re excited to help you restore and maintain your smile.