What are my options for broken or cracked teeth?
We have found that one of the most common problems adults have is cracking or breaking teeth. It can occur as a result of normal chewing pressures or night-time tooth grinding, but most commonly is associated with silver fillings. Silver fillings are metal and, as such, expand from heat when eating and drinking. Teeth, however, are more like glass and instead of expanding with the filling, they will crack, much like a windshield when struck by gravel. Once the tooth begins to crack, it will always progress and eventually break or split, resulting in tooth loss. Early detection of cracks by using an intra-oral camera that magnifies your teeth is best. If caught early, the tooth can be strengthened by a crown and perhaps root canal treatment so that tooth loss can be avoided. Call if you have not had your teeth checked with an intra-oral camera and let us insure that your teeth do not have any cracks. Prevention is always best. Today instead of silver fillings, we use bonded white fillings which are stronger and significantly reduce the likelihood of teeth cracking.