Potential Dental Treatments For A Tooth That Split In Half

A tooth can split in half due to trauma or decay-related cracking. Your general or cosmetic dentistry specialist can treat the split tooth to improve your appearance and minimize the risk of further damage. The appropriate treatment depends on the severity and location of the split. Here are a few of the potential treatment options your dentist can use to treat a split tooth.

Dental Filling or Bonding

Is your tooth split merely a cosmetic issue – meaning, the crack didn't damage the interior pulp in any way? Your dentist can likely fix the split using either a dental filling or a dental bond.

A filling is the best choice when the split formed a deep crack within the dentin but minimal surface damage. A tooth-colored resin or silver amalgam material is packed into the crack and smoothed out to plug the hole.

If the split is mostly on the exterior surface of the tooth, a dental bond might be the better option. The dentist will shape a flexible resin material over the surface of the tooth to hide the cracks. The resin is then hardened with a special light.

Endodontic Surgery

Sometimes a split can damage the pulp inside the tooth. Endodontic surgery can be used if the split in the pulp is horizontal and well above the roots or a vertical split that stops short of the root.

Your dentist might order either a traditional root canal procedure or pair that procedure with a root resection.

A traditional root canal involves the dentist scraping out damaged pulp material then refilling the canal with a bio-cement and capping the tooth off with an artificial crown. This procedure is usually sufficient in treating a split that's well above the roots.

Damage near or through the roots is more difficult to fix. If the split is in a tooth with multiple roots, your dentist might try a root resection – or a root removal procedure. The removal is preceded with a regular root canal so that sensitive nerves and cells are gone before the root is removed.

Extraction and False Tooth

Severe damage to the roots or pulp typically means the dentist will need to extract the tooth. You want to discuss replacement options ahead of the extraction so that you don't have a long-term empty spot that can interfere with chewing and cause bite problems.

Dental implants are a popular option due to the jawbone-implanted metal screw root offering natural-feeling stability. Implants do require a long treatment period interspersed with healing periods. If you are in more of a hurry, a dental bridge might be a better choice. With a bridge, the dentist affixes dental crowns to the health teeth on each side of the gap and the artificial tooth then hangs between those crowns.

Visit a dental office like Associates For Family Dentistry for more information.