Christmas is almost here, which means that treats and sweets, like red-and-white-striped candy canes and lollies, will be a seasonal staple in people’s diets. This candy’s minty, sweet flavour makes it a popular snack among Townsville residents.
Of course, you must eat candy canes in moderation. Apart from all the sugar they contain, which isn’t exactly good for your health and definitely bad for your teeth, they pose another threat to your oral health: a cracked or chipped tooth. Imagine one moment you’re happily biting into a candy cane, and then the next, you’ve chipped or cracked a tooth. Biting into something hard, like ice cubes and hard candies, is one of the main causes of a cracked or chipped tooth.
What Happens If You Have a Cracked or Chipped Tooth?
If you chip your tooth, you aren’t likely to feel any immediate pain, especially if you only chip a small part. A cracked tooth also doesn’t feel bothersome, except when you eat something too cold or too hot and the nerves in your tooth’s inner layers are exposed.
But just because you don’t feel any pain doesn’t mean you should let your cracked or chipped tooth go unchecked by a Townsville dental clinic. If you neglect having a checkup, you might suffer from the following:
- You could cut your tongue
A chipped tooth may have a jagged, sharp surface or edge. If you ignore it, that side of your chipped tooth might cut your tongue or cheeks, causing unnecessary and completely avoidable pain.
- Your tooth becomes sensitive to pressure
Another common cause of a cracked or chipped tooth is cavities. Cavities weaken the teeth, compromising their strength. Moreover, decay diminishes a tooth’s density, leaving it more susceptible to pain and sensitivity as well as to breaking under the slightest bit of pressure.
- Your tooth becomes sensitive to temperature
When you tooth cracks or chips, the nerves or the root may become exposed. These internal parts of a tooth are extremely sensitive to temperature. As a result, when you eat or drink something too hot or too cold, you may experience severe, shooting pain in that tooth, making it difficult for you to enjoy your food or drink.
- Your teeth and gums may become infected
If the inner structure of your tooth gets exposed from a crack or chip, that tooth becomes more vulnerable to infections. Bacteria can easily invade the dental pulp—the innermost part of the tooth containing blood vessels and nerves. Once this happens, the bacterial infection forms a pocket of pus called a tooth abscess.
What to Do If You Have a Cracked or Chipped Tooth?
As you can see, a cracked or chipped tooth may seem like a simple dental problem that you can just ignore. But, left untreated, one cracked tooth can cause severe pain and complications down the line. Fortunately, you have an array of treatment options to repair your damaged tooth. Possible treatments include:
- Fillings
- Veneers
- Dental crowns
If you reside in Townsville and are suffering from a cracked or chipped tooth, visit Casey Dentists right away. We offer a range of dental services from teeth whitening and other cosmetic dentistry services to more complex dental procedures like the ones stated above.
Don’t let a cracked tooth get you down. Request an appointment with Casey Dentists today.