Q: How does a tooth crack?
A: You'd be surprised by how much pressure the average adult exerts when biting. It's 150 to 200 pounds per square inch. So even though tooth enamel is one of the hardest materials in your body, when certain forces are aligned, a tooth can crack. An obvious crack will, of course, send a person immediately to a dentist. But a hairline crack may leave a person noticing only sensitivity to temperature change and to biting pressure. Any tooth with a weakness is subject to cracking. Throw in a propensity for chewing hard objects like ice cubes, pencils, hard candy, popcorn kernels, and you have the alignment mentioned above.
The hairline fracture of a cusp-one of the points on a tooth- is not uncommon. If a crack is small enough that it has not compromised the pulp chamber, it probably is not necessary to perform a root canal. A solution would be to cap the cusp. You should inform your dentist quickly about any change in sensation in your mouth. As with any dental problem, the sooner you take care of a cracked tooth, the better.
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