Cracking and chipping of teeth is a common dental problem encountered every day in the dental office and the following can be the causes:
Grinding / clenching – Majority of people clench and grind their teeth unconsciously especially during sleep. Both leads to cracking, wearing, and chipping of the teeth. If preventive measures are not in place teeth eventually get shorter and the bite may collapse. Additionally, teeth can become sensitive, painful, and infected resulting in expensive dental treatment in the future.
Large fillings - This is commonly seen on the back teeth that were filled with silver fillings. Over time cracks tend to develop on the tooth surrounding the filling, eventually the natural tooth can fracture along crack lines, or the tooth can simply split in half necessitating tooth removal.
What to do with crack and worn teeth?
The use of night guard during sleep can be a beneficial preventative measure. This will not stop you from grinding, but it will protect teeth from being damaged further. The sooner one realises they grind their teeth; early intervention is recommended. Any signs of tooth wear visible in adolescents and young adults, splint therapy should be considered to prevent further damage.
On the other hand, cracked back teeth needs some form of strengthening and protection that reduce the risk of them chipping further. The best way of addressing this is by use of dental crowns. Simply patching the tooth works in a short time and the tooth will continue to chip and eventually may need to be extracted. Dental crowns have a better longevity and reduce repetitive dental treatment. The pictures below show a molar tooth with silver which has developed cracks and was starting to hurt when chewing, a ceramic tooth coloured crown was placed on the tooth to prevent if from chipping and to stop pain. The crown was made on the same day.