Can Vertically Cracked Tooth Salvaged? (photo)

Question

Since the sharp, deep, great pain in chewing comes down to minor after a month, I infer that my body, taking vegetarian and much raw foods, may have cured the crack in certain scale; and hope the remaining minor pain in chewing may go away and the loose half may rejoin back or regrow independently. Can a tooth crack be rejoined like a common fractured bone?

Carlo Biasucci, DDS · Answer

Generally a tooth with a vertical fracture is hopeless and should be removed.  The enamel/dentin that make up the hard part of the tooth do not have a blood supply and therefore cannot heal by the same methods as bones.  The pain decreases because the pulp (nerve) of the tooth will degenerate once exposed to oral bacteria.  The longer the situation persists, the greater chance of further damage including infection around the tooth and bone loss that will compromise your replacement options.  Best to remove the tooth sooner than later.

Mauricio C. Tijerino, DMD · Answer

Roots of teeth do not heal like bones. There is no blood supply or bone cells in the root to do this. To further complicate things, the nerve or pulp of the tooth is compromised and will mostly likely die which is why your pain may have gone down. This dead tissue will be a source for acute or chronic infection and cause bone destruction around the root. It cannot be fixed even with a root canal and a crown, because the crack will continue to leak bacteria. We have not developed a cement that will seal and bond this type of crack.

	If the diagnosis is confirmen, then the tooth should come out.

	Hope this helps

	Dr. T

Jay Neuhaus, DDS · Answer

The mere fact that the pain has decreased and the mobility seems to have decreased, does not mean the tooth is healing. Unlike bone, the cementum of the root surface will not fuse together. You will continue to lose precious bone along the fracture line and may jeopardize your future ability to have an implant placed.

Can Vertically Cracked Tooth Salvaged? (photo)

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Can Vertically Cracked Tooth Salvaged? (photo)

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