A cracked tooth is nothing to ignore! If your tooth is cracked, seeing an endodontist or dental professional right away is essential. The sooner you receive professional care, the better your odds of saving the tooth.
However, it’s not always apparent when a tooth is cracked. Not all cracks in teeth are immediately obvious upon visual inspection.
Five easy-to-miss signs a tooth might have a crack are:
Recent Physical Trauma
As the Cleveland Clinic points out, there are various factors that can increase one’s chances of cracking a tooth. They include:
- Being over the age of 50
- Regularly eating hard foods
- Chewing gum or engaging in similar habits
- Grinding one’s teeth
- Having extensive dental work performed
In addition, a cracked tooth may be the result of trauma, like a sports injury or motor vehicle wreck. If you’ve recently been involved in any type of accident that may cause a cracked tooth, keep an eye out for potential signs of damage.
Pain
You may notice discomfort or pain when chewing if you have a cracked tooth. Schedule an appointment with your dentist accordingly.
Pain when chewing is usually a sign of a dental issue. Even if you don’t have a cracked tooth, there may be another problem a dentist or endodontist can assist you with. Seek treatment fast to prevent a minor issue from becoming something that causes greater long-term difficulties.
Increased Sensitivity to Temperature
Pay very close attention to your comfort when consuming very cold or very hot beverages. Do you notice increased sensitivity to relatively extreme temperatures?
If so, it’s possible a cracked tooth is to blame. As with the above example, even if a cracked tooth isn’t the cause of increased dental sensitivity, another issue requiring professional attention may be. Get treatment now to avoid complications.
Inconsistent Pain
Have you been experiencing new dental pain, discomfort, or sensitivity? Has the pain seemingly gone away?
Don’t assume this means the issue has resolved itself. That’s very unlikely to be the case.
For various reasons, as the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) points out, the pain resulting from a cracked tooth can come and go. The fact that your pain has gone away doesn’t mean it won’t come back later. Get in touch with your dentist or endodontist to ensure your pain isn’t significantly worse when it returns (which is likely to happen).
Swelling
The gums and overall area around a tooth may swell when it’s cracked. Once again, even when the cause of the swelling isn’t a cracked tooth, another dental issue requiring professional care is likely to be the culprit.
Schedule an appointment to find out what’s behind the swelling. In the meantime, you can manage it by applying a cold compress and taking over-the-counter pain medication (unless a doctor has told you not to) for your pain.
Get in Touch With an Edmond, Oklahoma Endodontist Today
At Contemporary Endodontics of Oklahoma, in Edmond, we have the experience, expertise, and tools necessary to offer treatment when you have a cracked tooth. Find out more by contacting us online today to schedule an appointment.