As you might expect, there are many different types of tooth fractures.

  •  Aside from the obvious causes such as accidental injury, teeth can weaken and break as a result of normal aging, older fillings, and from excessive pressure that occurs during chronic grinding, clenching or when the teeth fit together abnormally. 
  • Some fractures and chips are hard to predict or avoid simply because the process of repairing damaged or decayed teeth sometimes leaves them more vulnerable than the way mother nature made them.
  • Silver amalgam fillings have been used in dentistry for many decades, and although they are still regarded as safe and appropriate they are often the underlying cause of unexplained broken teeth. Metal fillings expand and contract with temperature changes in the mouth, and over time this process causes movement of the tooth and eventually tiny cracks form. 
  • The weakened tooth unexpectedly breaks one day- sometimes while eating something innocent! The culprit was actually simple physics, not your lunch.
  •  Many dentists prefer to use white plastic (composite) fillings which do not expand and contract, as a way to prevent this problem.
  • A cracked tooth or root is one of the most difficult to diagnose issues in dentistry, often causing significant discomfort without being readily detectable visually or on an on x-ray. 
  • Vertical root fractures happen most frequently in teeth that have had root canal therapy or teeth in which the nerve has been dead for a long time; sometimes it is the unavoidable result of placing a metal post in the tooth to provide extra support after the root canal is complete. 
  • Unfortunately, a root fracture is usually considered catastrophic, requiring that the tooth removed to avoid chronic abscesses.
  • The enamel and the underlying dentin also expand and contract at slightly different rates in response to temperature changes from hot and cold foods. 
  • Over a lifetime this natural process causes visible, vertical cracks known as craze lines in the more brittle outer layer of enamel. 
  • Although painless, craze lines are most noticeable in the front teeth and often cause concern to patients.
  •  Dentists regard them as an expected part of the anatomy of the teeth, formed as a result of normal wear and tear and very often they require no treatment.