However, this can cause damage if you have a tooth weakened by a filling, crown, or hairline crack. If you switch from hot to cold food or drinks quickly, it probably won’t hurt your teeth if they’re healthy.

If you avoid hard candy, you also have the added benefit of avoiding the sugar and possible cavities that come with it. Limit the amount of hard foods you eat, and don’t make chewing ice a habit. Hard candy, nuts, and ice might feel good to crunch, but they won’t seem so nice if your tooth crunches with them. Pay attention to this behavior and thoughtfully redirect your energy to a stress ball or another harmless activity. If you have a habit of clenching your jaw when you get stressed or angry, you can break it. If you wake up with a sore jaw or cheeks, or if your teeth feel tender in the morning, talk to your dentist about treatments for grinding. Grinding or clenching puts stress on your teeth and can weaken them over time. These causes can be easy to overlook, so use the following list to use if you might be at risk. The best way to avoid painful tooth cracks and breaks is to avoid their causes. Early detection will help your dentist treat any cracked teeth more effectively, and with less invasive procedures, than if you let the crack progress.Ĭracking a tooth or worsening a fractured tooth can have serious consequences, so you should know risk factors for cracked teeth-and how to know if you already have one. Even a skilled dentist might have a hard time identifying this problem if the cracks are too small to show up on X-rays.Įven tiny cracks in your teeth weaken their structure and increase their risk of breaking. However, some issues, such as cracked teeth, are difficult to diagnose.

When you go to the dentist’s office for a checkup, you want them to find any issues that could turn into big problems.

Has it cracked