Fracture

A tooth fracture is any break or crack in the tooth structure. Fractures vary widely in severity. At the mild end, craze lines are superficial cracks in the enamel that are usually harmless and extremely common in adult teeth. At the severe end, a vertical root fracture can split a tooth from crown to root, often making it unsalvageable.

The most common types of fractures seen in dental practice include craze lines, fractured cusps (where a piece of the chewing surface breaks off), cracked teeth (a crack extending from the chewing surface toward the root), split teeth (where the crack has progressed enough to separate the tooth into segments), and vertical root fractures. Each type has different symptoms, treatment options, and prognoses.

Diagnosing fractures can be straightforward or frustratingly difficult. Some fractures are visible to the eye or show up on X-rays, while others require transillumination (shining a light through the tooth), bite tests, or even exploratory procedures to confirm. For practices, having a systematic approach to evaluating suspected fractures is important. Treatment ranges from simple bonding or a crown for minor fractures to root canal therapy or extraction for more severe cases. Patient education also plays a role, since habits like chewing ice, grinding teeth, or biting on hard objects increase fracture risk significantly.