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Cracked tooth

Do You Need a Crown on a Cracked Tooth?

We recently had a new patient see us with no tooth complaints, she just needed a check up and wanted to discuss her headaches to see if we could help.  During her exam, I noticed that several of her molars were severely worn down (which she already knew about) and had cracks visible.  We didn’t take photos at her appointment (should have!) to show her, but she seemed comfortable with my recommendation of doing crowns on those 4 teeth to catch and contain the cracks before the teeth break.  Since she decided on a second opinion for those teeth, which I fully respect, I decided this is a good opportunity to review cracks in teeth, and what (if anything) to do about them. Tooth Cracks Don’t Show Up on X-Rays One difficulty with diagnosing cracks in teeth, is that they almost never show up on x-rays.  Why, you ask?  Good question!  It’s because x-rays are traveling perpendicular to the cracks, and the cracks are so narrow, there’s not enough change in the tooth density for the x-rays to show it.  To show up on an x-ray, a crack in a tooth would have to be so wide, you could stick a fork in it, and then you’d already know there was a problem.  The x-ray shown here is from another patient we recently treated, and while you can’t see anything on the x-ray, want until you see how it looked inside the tooth (on below). […]

By | 2017-06-09T20:33:15-04:00 February 27th, 2014|Bruxism & Parafunction, Cracked tooth, Family dentistry|0 Comments
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Why Does a Tooth with a Small Filling Need a Crown?

Patients often wonder about why we recommend expensive treatments for teeth that don't seem like they "need" it.  Today was an excellent example of why our recommended treatment may change while we are working on a tooth, as well as why we say you need a crown when nothing really seems wrong.  Lastly, it is one of the most powerful reasons why I use digital photography to document and educate patients, because when you can see for yourself, it's a lot easier to understand. A Tooth with a Small Filling Suddenly Needs a Crown? Take a look at this tooth please, and what do you see?  Probably just a small tooth-colored filling with some suspicious-looking grey areas on the sides, right? (click on it for a larger view).  From the x-ray, I knew the greyish area on the left side was from a cavity. It didn't look all that big, though, so I recommended a new tooth-colored (composite resin) filling - really not that big a deal. Cracked Teeth Usually Need a Crown Once I took the old filling out, indeed we found some decay on that side of the tooth, but what worried me most is what you can clearly see in the picture - a crack running from one side to the other across the base of the tooth. It is stained blue because of a dye we use to see the extent of a cavity or crack clearly - much easier to see for the patient. The patient told me she had not had any pain when biting, which is good, but kind of surprising. These upper teeth (premolars, which are behind the eye-teeth and in front of the molars) are the [...]

By | 2017-06-09T20:35:39-04:00 February 15th, 2011|Cracked tooth|0 Comments
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My Tooth is All Cracked Up!

The Value of a Nightguard to Protect Teeth It's been quite some time since I talked about how important a nightguard can be to protect teeth and decrease the risk of major problems that can cost a lot to fix.  Personally, I think it's a little on the ironic side when someone tells me, "Doc, I can't afford the $200 for a nightguard." because I know that they will end up paying me a lot more than that when teeth break and crack.  Here's yet another example of why you should get a nightguard if you grind/clench your teeth: If you are concerned about your teeth cracking and would like to protect them with a nightguard, or to find out if any of your teeth may be in this condition, or even just to find out if you do grind/clench your teeth (and no, just because your partner doesn't hear you does NOT mean anything, trust me!), please call 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online. This is a great time of year to get something done and to take advantage of any remaining dental insurance benefits before you lose them on 12/31.

By | 2017-06-09T20:35:48-04:00 December 6th, 2010|Bruxism & Parafunction, Cracked tooth, TMJ Problems, Migraines and Headache Relief|0 Comments
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Just how outrageous is dental "insurance?" Check this out!

As a practicing dentist for almost 11 years now, in a practice that does accept assignment of dental insurance benefits, I have seen almost every conceivable attempt by dental insurance companies to hold up payment, deny payment, or anything they can do to keep the money that should rightfully help pay for your dental care.  But this one took the cake for me, and I have to share.  Which insurance company?  Metlife.  Seriously........they said there was not enough missing tooth structure due to decay or fracture on these teeth, and therefore they don't need crowns.  Are they CRAZY!!!!!?!?!?!?!? [...]

By | 2017-06-09T20:45:09-04:00 May 18th, 2009|Broken tooth, Bruxism & Parafunction, Cavities, Cracked tooth, Dental Insurance, Dental photography|0 Comments
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Cracked teeth – Act early

Why You Shouldn't Ignore Cracks in Your Teeth One of the most common reasons that patients come to us for dental emergencies is cracked and broken teeth.  For some reason, this always seems to happen on weekends, when you're out at dinner, or right after we've closed for a long weekend - go figure.  This is avoidable, though, if you act preventively.  Here's the key, though, and this is one of the reasons we use digital photography so extensively to communicate with our patients -- very often these teeth won't hurt at all until they break.  Don't ask me why - no one really knows.  But so often, what we'll hear is, "Doctor Payet, it never bothered me at all, and then last night I was chewing on a banana and a big chunk of the tooth just broke off!" Fix a Tooth Before or After It Breaks If It Doesn't Hurt? Depending on whom you see, different dentists will tell you different things.  Many doctors still go by the philosophy of, "If it ain't broke and it don't hurt, leave it alone."  The problem with that philosophy (in my humble opinion) is that when it finally does break, it will take more time, cost more money, and until it's fixed is often pretty painful than if it had been treated before it broke.  If it's a small crack, treat it with a nightguard and a filling.  If it's a big crack, treat it with a nightguard and a crown.  But if it breaks, you might well need a nightguard, root canal, build-up filling, and a crown.  And all because the small crack wasn't treated with a filling. Research tells us that teeth with tooth-colored [...]

By | 2014-01-01T21:52:32-05:00 January 5th, 2009|Cracked tooth|0 Comments
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