Cracked Teeth and Decay – A Case Study – Part 2

Correct the bite

This tooth was bitten heavily by the opposing tooth cusp tip, that was  hanging down lower, due to the loss of the adjacent back tooth.

By smoothing slightly this cusp, the pressure is relieved on the tooth with the cracks, allowing the jaw and teeth to move more freely.

This removes a stress concertration that the jaw, and its muscles, are to grind away anyway. We are doing it over a shorter time and will be able to build up the filling to a more level bite

Remove the decay and seal the crack

The dark stained decay, associated with the crack, was removed. Also, a surpising amount of unstained decay was found elsewhere, also associated  with the white lined cracks.

The crack and the decay was deep at the base of one of the cusps (the back corner near the tongue-called the disto-lingual cusp), that it was removed.

Then the exposed internal tooth structure, the dentine,  (including any crack) was lined with an anti-bacterial layer, with repair products for the tooth.

Protect the remaining tooth structure

The crater in the upper small tooth was filled in, so that the food does not get caught in it. Also the filling prevents the dentine from being worn way and preventing the outer layer cracking away. Prevention is better than cure!

The filling now is ready to fill the internal cavity and to build up the lost cusp, now to the new bite with the reshaped opposing tooth.

Into the future, a crown, after the preparing the tooth, can be placed, to reduce the flexing of the tooth from wear.