Blog

Can You Fix a Fractured Tooth?

Can You Fix a Fractured Tooth? Feature image Dental Aware

Fractured teeth – it is the leading cause of tooth loss in industrialised nations.

They can result from the simplest of things such as chewing hard foods, grinding your teeth at night, or it’s even a natural result of growing older.

So, if a fractured tooth happens to you, what are your options before it leads to extraction?

Firstly – get to your dentist AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Early treatment of a fractured tooth is very important – if it is not treated straight away it will continuously get worse.

The dentist can then diagnose the severity of the fracture and choose from a few different options depending on your circumstances – including:

  • Type
  • Location
  • The extent of the fracture

Your most common choices to fix a fractured tooth will be:

  • Fillings
  • Crowns
  • Root canal procedures
  • Tooth removal as a last resort

It can often be hard for the dentist to pinpoint a fractured tooth, and at times you may not always notice the symptoms as they tend to come and go.

However, if you do not want to lose a tooth, read on below to find out how to recognise the symptoms and what to do about it, especially if you cannot get to the dentists’ office straight away.

A fractured tooth that needs to be fixed

What are the Fractured Tooth Symptoms?

A fractured tooth, particularly those of the kind that require dental treatment, is normally self-diagnoseable by the below symptoms;

  • Erratic pain when eating certain foods, chewing and biting
  • Toothaches that may come and go
  • Bad breath
  • Tooth sensitivity, especially to sweetness
  • Tooth pain when exposed to very hot or cold temperatures
  • Swollen gums around the cracked tooth
  • Tenderness around the teeth and gums that is hard to locate
  • Sore neck glands
  • Fever

How do you Fix a Fractured Tooth?

There are many different types of treatment for a fractured tooth, and the one chosen is generally up to your dentist, and varies depending on your circumstances – including the type, location, and extent of the fracture.

If not too severe and your pulp has not been damaged, your dentist may place a new filling or crown over the damaged tooth in order to protect it.

If the fracture has damaged the pulp, your tooth can be treated with a root canal procedure and a crown.

When the crack extends below the gum line, it is no longer treatable, your tooth can no longer be saved.

In this case, it will need to be extracted, and I’m sorry to say, but you’ve lost a tooth.

Can you Fix a Fractured Tooth with a Crown?

A crown is a prosthetic cap made of porcelain or ceramic that can be used to entirely cover existing teeth, and depending on the circumstances, some types of fractured teeth are restored with crowns.

If you need a crown, you may also need root canal treatment on the tooth – however, this is not always the case.

Root canal therapy is only required if the fracture is deep and reaches the pulp of the tooth, where the nerve of the tooth is located.

Before fitting a crown, if not much of your tooth is left remaining, your dentist may need to build a base to support it. This is usually required if large areas of the tooth are decayed, damaged, or missing.

A dental Crown ready to be fitted

A Dental Crown ready to be fitted

Fitting a Crown to Fix a Fracture Tooth

To fit a crown, your dentist will file down some of your tooth to make room for the crown.

They will then make an impression of the tooth and choose a colour that matches your teeth. This gets sent off to the dental laboratory where they make the crown, which may take a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, you may receive a temporary crown to wear until your permanent crown is made.

Upon its’ return, your dentist will fit and cement the crown over your fractured tooth. Some dentists even have the ability to make a porcelain crown in the office and fit it that very same day.

You should no longer feel any discomfort or sensitivity once the crown has been fitted – unless you have had a root canal, then you may still have some temporary sensitivity when it comes to cold.

If you notice any pain when biting, contact your dentist, as it usually means the crown needs to be adjusted, which is a simple process.

Crowns usually last at least 7 years depending on the material used, but if you take proper care of your crown, it can last you the rest of your life.

What if the Fracture is Too Large?

If your tooth has been fractured, your dentist will try to fix it.

Unfortunately, however, sometimes there’s just too much damage for it to be repaired.

When the entire tooth, including the nerve and roots that lie in the gum line below it, are extremely damaged, extraction may be your only option.

This is why early treatment of a fractured tooth is very important – if it is not treated straight away it will continuously get worse, consequently resulting in the loss of your tooth.

A fractured tooth being extracted from a patient

A fractured tooth getting extracted from a patient

Tooth Extraction Steps

If an extraction is required, your dentist will take an X-ray of the area and then plan the best way to remove your tooth.

They will require your full medical history, including a list of all medications you take.

You may be given anaesthesia, ranging from conscious sedation to general anaesthesia, or possibly just a local anaesthetic.

After the extraction, it’s very important that you have someone drive you home and stay there with you, and you must follow the list of post-surgery instructions given to you by your dentist.

The level of pain you feel afterwards and how long it will last depends on the type of surgery that was required to perform the extraction, and how difficult it was for the dentist to remove your tooth.

However, most pain fades after a few days.

What are the Other Options to Fix a Fractured Tooth?

Other options may include;

  • Gluing on the chipped or broken part of your tooth
  • Bonding – that is, a procedure that involves repairing the fracture with a plastic, composite resin.

However, one of the most common treatments, used in the most severe cases, is a root canal treatment – also known as endodontic treatment or root canal therapy.

Root Canal Therapy in action

Root Canal Therapy in action

This is where some of the damaged or infected pulp gets removed and replaced with a filling. This restores good health and condition back to your tooth.

Root canal therapy is often recommended by dentists as it can prevent infection and ensure your tooth does not weaken any further.

What to do if you can’t get to the Dentist straight away?

Early diagnosis is important to stop the fracture from spreading, and dental work may be necessary to save the tooth.

So really try to get yourself to the dentists’ office as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you’ve fractured a tooth and breathing through your mouth or drinking cold fluids is hurting, the following home remedies can help dull the pain of uncomfortable symptoms;

  • Try biting down on clean, moist gauze or cloth
  • Rinse your mouth with warm or salt water (to keep it clean at all times)
  • Take over the counter pain anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, to reduce swelling and pain
  • Apply an ice pack against your cheek to reduce swelling – do this in 15-minute intervals for as long as you need
  • Try to avoid chewing on that side of your mouth
  • Be careful what you eat – avoid cooldrinks, alcohol, caffeine, nuts, celery, anything too chewy, fruits with seeds in them, or extremely sugary foods
  • Pay attention to where the pain is coming from so you can tell your dentist when you do visit them

Whatever you do, DO NOT use topical oral pain medications or ointments, or place aspirin or other painkillers directly on the affected areas.

Conclusion

If you do not wish to lose a tooth – and I believe that the majority of us do not – it is very important to fix a fracture, and fix it immediately.

If nothing is done about a fractured tooth straight away, the condition is likely to worsen, meaning the only option left available for you will be extraction of that tooth.

However, if you recognise the symptoms of a fractured tooth, including erratic pain, tooth sensitivity, especially when it comes to sweetness or extreme temperatures, swollen gums and bad breath, you can get yourself into that dentists’ chair as soon as possible.

Depending on the severity of your condition, you may have a variety of options up your sleeve.

The most common ways to fix fractured teeth are fillings, crowns, and root canal treatments, all of which restore good health back to your teeth and help you leave that dentists office with a smile.

And in the meantime – don’t bite that pen of yours!

By Dr Veronica Roller

Created at May 02, 2019, Updated at May 28, 2021

No Comments

LEAVE A COMMENT