It’s Saturday night. You hit play on that new Netflix series you’ve been waiting all week to watch. You dive into the bowl of popcorn, bite down, and then it happens. You hit a kernel. It hurts but you’ll call the dentist on Monday.

Fast forward… You just found out that biting down on that little seed did big damage to one of your teeth. Our Asheville dental office sees patients all the time with a cracked tooth or teeth that need treatment. Cracked Tooth Syndrome is actually a common condition and is one of the biggest causes of tooth loss across the country.

How Did This Happen?

Biting down on some popcorn isn’t the only way to crack or damage your teeth. Check out these common causes of cracked teeth your Asheville dentist has seen during decades of fixing smiles:

1. Age – People between the ages of 19-40 and 50+ tend to have increased chances of this happening experiencing Cracked Tooth Syndrome.
2. Trauma – Sometimes accidents happen and our teeth take a hit causing cracks and other damage.
3. Grinding – Bruxism or grinding your teeth puts extreme pressure on your teeth causing cracks too.
4. Temperature – Sometimes if your teeth experience an abrupt change in temperature (like going from extremely hot to icy cold) this can indicate a crack in a tooth or a failing restoration.

Now that you know how it happens, you should be on the lookout for some of the signs that you have a cracked tooth or teeth. There could be some pain while biting and chewing your food, discomfort when eating or drinking cold or hot foods/beverages, and a recurring toothache.

What Do I Do Now?

Believe it or not, there are different types of cracks with everything from a tiny crack in the enamel that doesn’t require immediate care to a tooth that’s completely split where the break extends beyond your gum line.

Depending on the severity of your cracked tooth or teeth, your Asheville dentist will help you determine the best course of treatment for your smile and your schedule. Sometimes a small crack or chip in your dental enamel can be smoothed until it’s time for more permanent repair. But if you’ve been told you have a deep fracture, it’s so important to discuss your next move to avoid infection, further damage, or even tooth loss.

At our state-of-the-art dental office in Asheville, we may recommend these effective treatments to help fix cracked or damaged teeth:

Bonding – This is used for small, superficial cracks or chipped areas where a plastic resin is used to restore the tooth’s function and appearance.

Crown – This is one of the most common ways to fix a cracked tooth. We can create a custom porcelain crown to completely cap or cover the damaged tooth for protection that can last many years to come with proper dental care.

Dental Implant – If for some reason your natural tooth cannot be saved, you may have the option of replacing the tooth with a durable dental implant.

Whatever treatment option you choose to fix your cracked tooth or teeth, it’s important to get the help you need soon so that you’re able to preserve and protect the rest of your smile so it can continue to function correctly. If you’ve got questions for us or want to talk to us about your possible treatment options, you should give Phillips & Schmitt DDS a call at 828-254-1944. We are always here to help patients like you restore health to your smile.