The Tale of the Raspberry Seed - What Cracked Tooth Syndrome Means

Dentist : " So, tell me what brings you in today?"

Patient: " I've noticed that when i am eating my berries in the morning I sometimes get a zinging tooth pain when I chew a seed in JUST THE RIGHT SPOT."

Dentist: " Interesting. Do you notice this zinging pain any other time?"

Patient: " Yes, I have it happen on taco Tuesdays, I just love those hard shelled tacos, YUM."

Dentist: " Ok, I have a suspicion on what is going on. May I use this bite stick called a tooth sleuth to test your bite?"

Patient: "Sure." ::bites down in "the right spot":: " OUCH!"

Dentist: " I am sorry to say but you have a cracked tooth."

Using a tooth sleuth to check for a crack in a tooth

This is a scenario that plays out in the dental office often. A history of this kind of dental pain gives our inner Sherlock Holmes some work to do. Dentists often worry about Cracked Tooth Syndrome (CTS) when we hear this constellation of symptoms. When we have a crack in the tooth, our bite causes the tooth structure to flex along this crack line. This flexure causes pain. The repeated flexure can cause the crack to increase in size. Eventually either working its way down the root or into the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. The crack could be initiated from either macro trauma (think biting into something too hard with too much force) OR micro trauma (think clenching and grinding or habit that is done repeatedly over time).

Purple Stained crack in a tooth that needed extraction

CTS is a diagnosis that dentist use to describe a spectrum of tooth problems. This spectrum is often progressive and at its worst can lead the need to extract the tooth. From small crack all the way to root canal needing/extraction requiring cracks, this condition often leads to the need for more treatment than just a filling. The crack usually starts "small" but as we continue to function on the unprotected tooth, the crack will get larger/deeper. As crack propagation occurs, our symptoms worsen as does the prognosis for the tooth. Your dentist's goal is to not over treat but to treat at the right time. We see "cracks" in teeth every day, but not all of them need treatment. Treatment could be as simple as a bite adjustment on that tooth OR as complicated as root canal, core buildup and crown or even more so an extraction and implant.

I hope that when you have "that slight pain when I bite in just the right spot" and the recommendation is a crown that you have confidence in the treatment plan of your provider and know they are trying to prevent the need for even more treatment in the future.

The lesson for this blog : If you are experiencing the symptoms of CTS please let your dentist know ASAP, as it could save your tooth!