Once you have a dental crown placed, you don’t expect to have problems with that tooth again. Fortunately, that is usually true. However, a crown can chip or crack for various reasons and cause concern for you. Luckily we can help. Learn more below about what to do if you have a cracked or chipped crown.
What Is A Dental Crown?
A crown covers a damaged tooth to restore its normal function, improve its appearance, and protect it from future damage. Dentists typically recommend crowns for one or more of these reasons:
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Replace natural tooth structure removed by tooth decay.
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Prevent fracture of a weak tooth.
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Enhance the appearance of a severely discolored or poorly shaped tooth.
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Restore a previously placed dental implant.
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Support a fixed bridge that replaces a missing tooth.
What Is A Dental Crown Made Of?
Crowns are made from several kinds of dental materials or a combination of these materials. At Trident General Dentistry, we carefully select the best crown material to restore your tooth to its best appearance and function. The materials most commonly used for crowns include:
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Porcelain
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Porcelain and metal
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Ceramic such as Zirconia
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Resin
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Gold
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Metal-alloy
How Serious is a Cracked Crown?
Every cracked crown is unique because of its location in your mouth, how it fits with opposing teeth when chewing, and how visible it is when you smile and speak. Most cracked crowns don’t cause a dental emergency unless you have pain in the tooth. Pain can result if the underlying tooth is cracked, or the exposed tooth structure is overly sensitive to temperature and air. It is never a good idea to go a prolonged time without having your tooth checked after your crown cracks.
Why Does A Dental Crown Crack?
A crown is a strong dental restoration that typically lasts many years. However, for several reasons, your crown may crack and require replacement. The most common causes of a cracked crown include:
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Bruxism. Clenching or grinding your teeth while sleeping places extreme stress on your teeth and jaws. Bruxing can lead to TMJ disorder, worn and fractured teeth, and cracked and damaged crowns.
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Habits. Habits such as chewing on your fingernails, ice, or other nonfood items damage your teeth and dental crowns.
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Trauma. Sudden trauma to a crown, such as receiving a blow while participating in sports or biting on a hard piece of food, can chip or crack a crown.
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Time. Most manufactured materials, including dental materials, eventually succumb to the forces that they endure over time.
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Material defect. Making a dental crown requires a precise technique and flawless dental material. Occasionally, there is a problem in the procedure or material that leads to a cracked crown. Fortunately, this happens very rarely.
What Are The Symptoms of a Cracked Crown?
Sometimes it isn’t apparent if a chip or crack has damaged your crown. The symptoms to look for include:
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Your crown doesn’t look quite right when you brush and floss your teeth.
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You notice your teeth don’t bite together the same.
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With your tongue or cheek, you notice a sharp or jagged place on a tooth.
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You experience sensitivity to cold, heat, or air on a tooth.
What Do You Do If Your Crown Cracks?
Fortunately, crowns usually last years and even decades without causing any problems but when they do, the first thing to remember is to remain calm and not panic. A cracked crown is usually not a dental emergency and rarely leads to the loss of a tooth. However, here are some things to remember if your crown breaks:
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Make sure you don’t have broken pieces of the crown remaining in your mouth that you could swallow or cause damage to your cheek, gum, or another tooth.
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Call and let us at Trident General Dentistry know what happened.
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Although you don’t need to rush to have your crown examined, you should keep your appointment and not postpone treatment.
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Avoid chewing on the damaged crown by chewing on the other side of your mouth.
Can A Cracked Crown Be Repaired?
It is essential that you do not try to repair your broken crown yourself. Dental bonding can repair some minor cracks or chips depending on the location and extent of the damage. Another consideration is the condition of the tooth. If your tooth has decay or an infection, additional treatment may be necessary before making a new crown. A crown that has a major crack will usually require replacement with a new crown.
Schedule An Appointment
If you have a chipped or cracked crown, call Trident General Dentistry to schedule an appointment for an evaluation. We can advise you whether a repair or replacement is best to help protect your smile and maintain optimum oral health.