How do I know if my tooth is cracked?

MrHeisenberg

Hi all,

I have been struggling with facial pain for many years and I am concerned that one of my teeth is cracked.

I lost the neighbouring teeth when I was very young due to facial trauma and I'm concerned the tooth in question was right in the firing line and therefore subject to a crack.

The tooth in question also supported a 4 unit bridge until a couple of years ago (adding to the possibility it may be cracked due to the increased forces).

If the tooth has been cracked for many years then surely the crack would have propagated by now and therefore be visible on x-rays including a cone beam CT scan?

The tooth has been root filled and also been subject to apical surgery.

Whenever I brush my teeth it triggers the pain.

I am wondering if anyone has has similar experiences etc.

Sincere thanks.

Toothsmith

Cracked teeth can sometimes be very hard to diagnose.

Facial pain can have very many causes.

The worst thing would be to have the tooth out - it not be cracked, and the pain carries on.

What has your dentist said to you and done to look into it? It's really for a dentist to decide what is wrong and what to do about it.

ManofLeisure_2

I have cracked two teeth and on each occasion experienced severe pain 'only' on eating and teeth brushing - at other times everything was ok. Must say that the pain was really severe and a trip to the dentist couldn't be avoided

MrHeisenberg

Toothsmith wrote: »

Cracked teeth can sometimes be very hard to diagnose.

Facial pain can have very many causes.

The worst thing would be to have the tooth out - it not be cracked, and the pain carries on.

What has your dentist said to you and done to look into it? It's really for a dentist to decide what is wrong and what to do about it.

That's exactly what worries me - both the fact that it is hard to diagnose and that it may not be cracked.

My dentist has just taken x-rays. I have been referred to a maxillofacial consultant who referred me for a cone beam CT scan and a few MRI scans. Nothing has showed up.

The dentists that I have seen like to think that it is a matter for the maxillofacial consultant and he could well be of a view that it is a matter for my dentist (should the tooth be cracked).

The pain has been there for quite a few years.

MrHeisenberg

ManofLeisure wrote: »

I have cracked two teeth and on each occasion experienced severe pain 'only' on eating and teeth brushing - at other times everything was ok. Must say that the pain was really severe and a trip to the dentist couldn't be avoided

Did the crack show up on an x-ray and, if not, how did you know the teeth were cracked?

ManofLeisure_2

MrHeisenberg wrote: »

Did the crack show up on an x-ray and, if not, how did you know the teeth were cracked?

One of the cracks was actually visible to the dentist without an xray (although an xray was taken) and the other clearly visible on the xray (which was shown to me). The pain was the same on each occasion as mentioned previously - really sharp and severe to be honest.

MrHeisenberg

ManofLeisure wrote: »

One of the cracks was actually visible to the dentist without an xray (although an xray was taken) and the other clearly visible on the xray (which was shown to me). The pain was the same on each occasion as mentioned previously - really sharp and severe to be honest.

I see. That's pretty unusual and it seems you were lucky there were visible signs.

Yeah, I have severe pain too and no one seems able to rule out a crack.

MrHeisenberg

Surely the crack would have propagated by now in my case?

silvercar

MrHeisenberg wrote: »

Surely the crack would have propagated by now in my case?

Like seeds?

I have a visibly cracked tooth, the dentist says it is a hairline crack and doesn't propose any treatment.

Apollonia

Maybe it is cracked, maybe it isn't. No-one here can be completely certain, Mr Heisenberg!

:rotfl:

jenniewb

Be aware OP that fractures, especially hairline fractures are very difficult to pick up in an xray. They don't even show up on much bigger bones so easily- I had a tibial stress fracture (a hairline fracture in my lower leg) for 2 years. It was xrayed twice in those two years but I was given the all clear. It was painful initially enough to prevent me walking and I was told by a physio and eventually an orthopaedic consultant that it was more than likely the stress fracture began with the onset of the pain yet as I've said, on each occasion it was not picked up, not in an xray and not in an MRI either. It was only picked up by chance with a nuclear bone scan and they are a whole different ball game.


I've had a fracture in my tooth before. It hurt a lot and even without eating or drinking. It hurt when I moved my head and felt like a jagged pain in addition to the new sensitivity if I did try to eat/drink anything or breathe in cool air if that's any help. Pain killers helped (ibuprofen or NSAIDS or asprin, taken with paracetamol and codedine at night, I used to take one of either every 2 hours but never take NSAIDS alone with asprin- check with a medic though to ensure your OK to take any medication), it all seemed to help but didn't take it away. In addition to the localised pain it resulted in my having an almost constant headache and being unable to sleep, though possibly the headache was caused by the lack of sleep, I don't know!
The tooth then became infected so I can't really say more than that because the pain became caused by something else but it did go away when the tooth was removed.


Even with that fracture the Dentists nor myself in this case were not able to see clearly enough on the xray that was taken much more than a blur of a dark line and were not able to see if it went down as far as the root or not. (Turns out it was that far down or at least became that far down possibly, by the time it was taken out).


But the thing that always sits in my mind is that if it's that difficult to see a hairline fracture in a leg bone which is pretty massive in comparison to most bones in the body, it makes sense that it's even harder to see in a tooth and I didn't just have an xray either. I had a few scans. It's not so much that they don't pick things up, it's that if the fracture is something as thin as a hairline fracture (still v.painful IME!) it's just difficult to tell. The only way around it seems to be to wait and see. Sorry this sounds like a really impossible thing to do when your in pain, but the only other option is to remove the tooth. Unlike other bones, teeth don't seem to repair.


My (non medical, tuppence worth) suggestion? Take pain killers to reduce the pain as much as you can, decide on a time to give it for your body to rectify to see if it could be something else- agree this with your Dentist and if when the time has passed you cannot be pain free or carry on without pain killers, I'd assume it's not going to repair by itself. Again, I am not a medic, this is just what I'd do if it were happening to me.