Stresses over time can weaken the tooth, causing it to break. If you have large silver and mercury fillings, these can expand and contract with temperature changes, weakening tooth structure by creating small fractures. It’s important to restore these areas with a crown or onlay (a bonded porcelain filling) before they break. Waiting until your tooth breaks can cause an excessive amount of tooth structure to break. You can lose more tooth structure or possibly need a root canal.
Grinding and clenching is another stress that causes teeth to break, especially when most of the back teeth rub against each other. The excessive side forces on the cusps, or bumps, on the back teeth create fractures in the teeth that eventually give way. A bite adjustment and/or a custom professionally made bite guard can prevent this. A dentist trained to spot TMJ problems can diagnose before it’s a problem. Tooth pain is uncomfortable and tooth wear can be an expensive problem to fix. A regular six-month scheduled check-up can help you to be sure that potential problems are caught before it they become inconvenient, painful and expensive.
