Cracked teeth don’t always cause symptoms. When they do, the main symptoms include:
- Pain that comes and goes, particularly when chewing.
- Sensitivity to temperature changes or eating sweet foods.
- Swelling around the tooth
- Toothache when biting or chewing.
The most common causes of tooth fractures are:
- Age with many tooth cracks happening at age 50 and older.
- Biting hard foods such as candy, ice or popcorn kernels, etc.
-
Habits such as gum chewing, ice chewing. - Large dental fillings or a root canal, which weaken the tooth.
- Teeth grinding (bruxism).
- Trauma, including falls, sports injuries, bike accidents, car accidents or physical violence.
You can’t prevent every tooth fracture. But you can reduce the risk of cracked tooth syndrome with good dental practices:
- Avoid chewing hard foods or ice.
- Practice good teeth and gum care.
- Wear a mouth guard made by your dentist if you play sports or grind your teeth at night.
- See your dentist regularly.
Fractures occur most often on the upper front teeth and the teeth toward the back of your lower jaw (mandibular molars).
Though people commonly fracture one tooth, more severe injury or trauma may fracture multiple teeth. People with dental cavities have a higher risk of fracture, even with less severe trauma.
