Fractured Tooth-Procedures, Side effects, Recovery time, Costs and alternatives

There are many types of fractures which a tooth can face. Depending on the location and extent of the fracture, the treatment can be provided. For any procedure to proceed with, the Dentist and Endodontists have to diagnose the extent of the fracture. In many cases, there is a possibility of restoring the tooth. If the damage is not up to a large scale then treatment is feasible.

There are a few regular routines and procedures which can help to protect and restore the tooth which is not completely damaged or decayed.

1. Chipped teeth: Chipped teeth are considered as minor fractures. These types of fractures will barely harm. Only if the fracture is worse, then the dentist will recommend a filling material procedure. As an aesthetic behavior, they can surely clean up and polish your tooth.
2. Craze lines: Craze lines are surface level fractures. They don't reach the roots or below the surface. Craze lines are minor cracks on the enamel. The best treatment you can get is smoothening and polishing of the required area.
3. Fractured cusp: Fractured cusps are the medical condition where the tooth’s chewing surface breaks off. These are the minor type of fractures which can be treated by filling up the area. No severe pains are caused in these types of fractures. From preventing the fracture and from getting into the roots, dentists usually fill it up and protect the crown area.
4. Cracked tooth: Cracked tooth are severe conditions. They cause an entire tooth fracture. Starting from the nerve to the enamel, this decay can cause you some serious pain. These types of cracks can be solved by filling up the gaps, but in worse cases, this will probably not work. Dentist prefers to put a crown over the area. The root canal is also one of the options in the worse cases. The more pain is caused in these types of fractures because of the exposed nerve. This can also lead to bleeding and can cause severe pains.
5. Split tooth: The effects of the spread tooth can lead to split tooth. Basically, the prolonged effect of a cracked tooth can lead to a split tooth, which can cause a vertical break in the tooth and can split them into two separate parts. A root canal is the only treatment which can be provided to the patients. In the case of molar, it has more than one root. So the root which cannot be saved is removed, whereas the ones which can be protected and saved are covered with a crown.
6. Vertical root: The fracture begins with minimal symptoms, but can become serious when reaches the surrounding gums and bones. The fracture begins at the root of the tooth and continues in the upward direction towards the surface. The only way to cure this is the removal of the infected tooth.

There are many reasons for a tooth fracture. Let’s have a glance at some of the reasons for tooth fracture.

There are situations wherein the tooth gets damaged which can happen due to ‎multiple reasons like tooth decay and this can cause discomfort to the person. In ‎such situation inlays or onlays are the best methods of restoring the tooth’s. ‎These methods of restoration are considered to be indirect filling methods which ‎signify that the fillings are fabricated in the dental laboratory and then are ‎bonded on the tooth by the dentists. Dental inlays and on lays are restorations ‎used to repair rear teeth with delicate to moderate decay or cracked and broken ‎teeth that aren't sufficiently damaged to need a crown. Ideal candidates for inlay ‎or onlay work usually have an excessive amount of damage or decay within the ‎tooth structure to be successfully treated using a filling, but have enough healthy ‎teeth remaining to avoid the requirement for a crown. This enables the dentist to ‎conserve more of the patient’s original tooth structure.

The dental practitioner ‎takes an impression and sends it to a laboratory center where the decorate in ‎accordance to the structure in need is made. Trims of the inlays are made from ‎porcelain or composite resin material coordinating the shade of the tooth. This ‎method gives relatively undetectable dental rebuilding while at the same time ‎fixing the biting surface. Dental decorates are commonly more solid than normal ‎fillings produced using composite or amalgam, and gold trims are the most ‎tough and the most costly of the materials accessible. The benefits of the inlays ‎with respect to the other dental procedures like metal fillings is that these inlays ‎are durable and can last up to 30 years, they help in strengthen the teeth by 75% ‎and thus help in prolonging the life of the teeth. ‎

Based on the situation of the tooth the dentist may decide to go for the restoration ‎of the teeth via the inlay method. Once the dentists decides to go for this method ‎then dentist shall number the tooth and its surrounding area with the help of the ‎local anesthesia and then start cleansing the decay area. This is done so as to ‎remove the decaying particles and prevent the further decay of the teeth from any ‎sort of infection. The next step is to take the impression of the tooth on a putty ‎like material. A molded impression of the tooth is then taken and sent to a dental ‎laboratory, where the restoration is fabricated.

The materials that can be used for ‎inlays are gold, porcelain or resin materials. In the first visit the dentist shall make ‎a temporary filling to the tooth to protect it until the permanent restoration is ‎ready. In the second visits, the provisional temporary fitting is removed and the ‎inlay or onlay is placed. The permanent inlay is attached to the tooth which is ‎made of the resin that hardens when exposed to a special light source, or a type of ‎permanent cement. If esthetics is not a priority then the gold is the best option. ‎Resin materials may be the most effective choice for those who grind their teeth ‎and/or those with a misaligned bite. Dentist waits for complete polymerisation of ‎the temporary resin and then polishes the temporary inlay. Then the dentist shall ‎check occlusion and border sealing of the temporary inlay. The dentist will ensure ‎that all the margins are smooth fit with tight adjacent contacts. The dentist will ‎also check the bite to ensure that there are no occlusion-related issues affecting the ‎margins of the restoration. Once fitted, the restoration is secure onto the tooth and ‎the margins are polished.‎

The decidability of whether to go for inlay is done by the dentist. Generally if ‎there is a moderate decay or crack in the teeth or if the teeth are fractured such that ‎there is no sufficiently damage to need a crown then the inlay can be the best ‎option of restoration of the teeth. The general criteria for choosing inlay are when ‎the biting area is as follows:‎

• Broken, fractured or decayed such that there is no affect on the cusp of the ‎tooth. ‎‎
• If the biting area is extensive enough to require a large dental filling that ‎may weaken the remaining structure.‎‎
• If the injury to the biting area of the teeth does not allow for removal of ‎enough tooth material to support mounting a crown.‎

The patients who don’t have any complaint of any sort of dental related problems ‎do not require any inlays restoration methods. Moreover before opting for the ‎inlay restoration treatment, it’s necessary to check if the patient has permanent or ‎temporary Inlays. If the patient has already opted temporary inlay restoration ‎method, then the above treatment can be avoided. A temporary inlay is just a ‎temporary because of this we don't need you to be too critical of how the ‎temporary appearance or feels. If the damage to the tooth due to decay or injury is ‎extensive then inlay cannot be applicable. ‎

If you have a minor chip in your tooth, it's important to go to a doctor before the infection spreads and reaches to the other portions. There can be really bad side effects of a broken tooth. Better to consult a doctor than being late. The bad part about broken tooth is that they do not heal themselves. So unless and until we go to a doctor there are no other possible ways to get the problem fixed. But there are certain side effects noted in patients which are as follows: ‎

• Tooth sensitivity:Numerous patients encounter increased tooth sensitivity ‎or pain experiencing inlay cleansing treatment, for example, the evacuation ‎of tooth decay and situation of trims and onlays, fillings, or crowns. In ‎spite of the fact that torment regularly dies down within two or three days ‎of dental treatment, patients that vibe agony ought to stay away from hot, ‎cool, and crunchy sustenance’s for the days following their meetings with ‎the dental practitioner.‎‎
• Medication side effects: a very few patients may report symptoms like loose ‎motions, nausea, vomiting due to the antibiotics medicines while ‎undergoing treatment. ‎‎
• Bacterial infection: Those who undergo the inlay restoration treatment or a ‎similar kind of other treatment face the risk of bacteria getting trapped and ‎sealed inside the tooth which can lead to the bacterial infection.‎‎

The major guideline one can follow after a tooth treatment is regarding their food habits. People should take care of what all they should eat in order to post dental treatment.

• What to eat?
  It's not advisable to eat any solid food just after a dental treatment. For at least 24 hours the patient should be on a liquid diet. They can consume soft stuff which is easy to swallow and does not require much chewing exercise food items like cool yogurt, pudding, Jell-O and ice cream; these will help in reduction of pain. After the first day different items like mashed potato, scrambled egg, oatmeal and pancakes can be tried.
• What not to eat?
  Alcoholic beverages are a big no after a tooth treatment. Brittle food items like chips or chewy food are inadvisable to eat.

It takes almost two to three weeks to recover from a tooth fracture. With proper medication and treatment, the healing and recovery are really speedy. A small carelessness can lead to severe problems. So better to take good care if you want to recover from the pain.

As there are different types of fractures in the tooth, the treatment also varies in accord.

• Dental Implant: 25000 – 40000 INR per implant.
• Fillings and Restorations: mini 500- maxi 15000 INR per tooth.

This vast variation is because it depends on the type of fillings and restorations.

• Crowns: 2000 – 15000 INR per crown. This depends on the material used as a crown.
• Root Canal: 3000 – 7000 INR per tooth.
• Surgeries: 500 – 4000 INR per tooth, varies according to the types of the tooth.

And so many other treatments are there which just based on the type of the damage. Based on this only the cost of the treatment is and mainly the warranty places a big role in costing. Almost the same as everywhere in India regarding this tooth treatment.

Always it depends on how the person takes care of his tooth once undergone any treatment. As already mentioned, avoiding hard bite and alcoholic intake will save the tooth ever and this goes well even after the treatment. Few treatments are warranty based, so this shows that it is partial to get a permanent fix for this type of issues.

In cases of extensive decay of the tooth other options like dental crowns are the ‎only alternative available. ‎