Cracked tooth

A crack in a tooth may appear as a tiny hairline fracture, usually running from the top to the bottom of the tooth. Sometimes these cracks are invisible to the naked eye and often do not show up on X-rays. It may be hard to tell which tooth hurts or whether the pain is coming from a top or bottom tooth.

Suspect a crack if:

• You feel sharp pain when you bite down or chew.
• You cannot eat certain foods or can only chew on one side of your mouth.
• Your tooth is very sensitive to hot or cold.

A cracked tooth may be caused by a mouth injury or loss of tooth structure from a large area of decay (cavity) or filling. Chewing on hard objects-such as nuts, hard candy, or foreign objects in food-or temperature extremes, such as when you eat hot foods and then chew on ice cubes, can also cause a cracked tooth. Other causes of a cracked tooth include teeth grinding or uneven chewing pressures.

Deep cracks can cause inflammation, infection, or death of the tooth. Prompt dental care may prevent these problems.