What causes a tooth to crack?

A tooth may crack for many reasons such as: chewing on hard foods like ice, nuts, or candy, trauma, grinding or clenching your teeth, uneven chewing pressure, loss of significant portion of tooth structure through wear or large restorations, brittleness from root canal treatment. A cracked tooth may hurt because the pressure of biting causes the crack to open. When you stop biting, the pressure is released and a sharp pain results as the crack closes. If the inside of the tooth, the pulp, is damaged root canal treatment may be indicated. Dr. Riccardi will determine the best treatment for your individual case. ... more