These vertical lines in her front teeth are actually known as craze lines. Over years of use, our teeth tend to develop tiny cracks in the hard outer layer known as enamel. These cracks normally don’t cause any pain, but can easily stain, causing embarrassing discolored lines on your front teeth. What Causes Craze. Craze lines are technically cracks in your teeth, but they are only in the enamel (the very top layer of your teeth). A crack in your tooth penetrates the enamel and can go into the dentin and even the tooth nerve.

A cracked tooth is something to worry about. Teeth that are cracked badly may leave your dentist with no other option but to extract them. Even teeth with merely superficial cracks can degrade if you do not have them looked at and patched up. If you crack a tooth, it is important that you get it looked at as a matter of urgency, so that your doctor can recommend the appropriate treatment.

One of the problems with cracked teeth is that there are different types of cracks and not all of them are easy to spot. Let’s say you are crunching on a boiled sweet and you feel a sharp pain in your tooth. You can be pretty sure that you’ve done some damage and you need to pay a visit to the dentist quick sharp.

However, not all cracks in your teeth happen so abruptly or obviously. In fact, you can have a tooth with a hairline crack that may not give you any pain at all. But what if that crack starts to grow? By the time you do start to notice the pain, it may be too late to save the tooth.

Discovering cracks in your teeth is one reason why paying regular visits to the dentist for check-ups is so important. Cracks do not show up on x-rays, but your dentist can spot hairline cracks using high-intensity lights. Through regular check-ups, you can ensure that your teeth get the early treatment they need to keep them in good health for the future.

If your dentist does spot a crack in your tooth, what might it look like and what can they do about it? Well let’s start with the most inoffensive first. Craze lines are very thin fractures in the surface of the enamel. A lot of us have them and they’re nothing to worry about. No treatment required.

A step up from craze lines is a cracked cusp. This is how dentists describe part of the outer tooth breaking off. A cracked cusp will cause some pain when you are eating, but the inner part of the tooth – the pulp and nerves – remain undamaged. It is usually repaired by your dentist using some dental bonding or, if the cusp is only slightly cracked, by some straightforward cosmetic re-shaping of the tooth’s edges.

So, a tooth can only really be called ‘cracked’ if there is a crack from the top down towards the root. This type of crack means that not only the outer surface of the tooth is damaged. It also means that the inner core of the tooth is exposed so it is open to infection, likely to trap food debris and likely to attract bacteria.

This type of cracked tooth is most likely going to require some more serious dental work. Depending on how long the crack has been there, there may be some decay which your dentist needs to clean up and clear away. Then, if any of the tooth can be salvaged, a crown will need to be fitted to protect the remaining parts of the tooth in future.

One of the major concerns for your dentist will be if the crack in your tooth extends below the gumline. This means that the root is damaged and, in many cases, the tooth will need to be extracted.

What happens if you fail to treat a cracked tooth? Often, given enough time, the cracked tooth will split completely. This will cause constant pain until the tooth is extracted as it is not possible to repair a split tooth.

There are lots of reasons why teeth crack, so you cannot always take preventative measures that will stop them. Many dentists believe that grinding your teeth in your sleep weakens them and makes the more likely to crack. So if you do grind your teeth, it may be the case that you should wear a mouthguard at night to protect your teeth. It helps if you are careful about what you eat too. However, the most important action you can take is probably to seek early treatment.

– What to expect and what steps to take if you have a porcelain laminate chip, crack, break or come off (debond). | Remedies for common lost-veneer problems. | Underlying reasons why a veneer may debond or fracture.

What should you do if you have a veneer break off?

This page covers the subject of emergency care for situations where you have all or a portion of a porcelain laminate (veneer) come off your tooth.

As a quick preview, the following list provides a general outline of initial steps you should take.

Steps to take if you have a porcelain veneer come off.

1. Carefully remove the bits of the veneer from your mouth.
2. Store what you find somewhere safe. (Like wrapped in tissue and placed inside a medicine bottle.) Be careful, if the veneer is still fully intact your dentist may be able to reattach it.
3. Carefully investigate your tooth for sharpness. If needed, purchase white dental wax to place over its surface to protect your lips, cheeks and tongue from irritation.
4. Contact your dentist’s office and report your situation and findings.
5. Don’t look for trouble. Limit your tooth’s exposure to chewing and biting forces.
6. Also, limit its exposure to hot, cold and air because these types of stimuli may trigger sensitivity.

Additional information.

The remainder of this page provides explanations and details about the above points and issues.

• If instead you’re looking for information about how your tooth might be fixed, we discuss that subject here: Repair options for lost or damaged porcelain veneers.
• If you’re looking for information about what you should not do, read this page: Can you super glue your lost porcelain veneer back on?

Lost-veneer Emergencies – What takes place?

Most porcelain veneer emergencies involve the situation where the restoration has either:

• Fractured – Broken, cracked, crazed, chipped, etc…, with usually some portion of the restoration, possibly of relatively large size, coming off.
• Completely debonded – All of the veneer has come off. (Hopefully as an intact unit.)

1) Checking your tooth to determine what happened.

FYI – Be careful with this step. If there are any portions of your broken veneer still attached to your tooth these shards of porcelain could be sharp. When investigating, take precautions with your fingers, lips, cheeks and especially your tongue so they don’t get hurt.

a) What to look for.

There are really only two possibilities that may have occurred.

• Either your veneer has come off 100%, either as bits or as a whole.
• Or it has broken and a portion of the restoration still remains attached to your tooth.

1) Cases where all of the veneer has come off.

In terms of creating an emergency situation, this is probably the less troublesome of the two possibilities.

When investigating, you’ll probably find that:

A tooth that’s lost 100% of its veneer.

• Your tooth’s front surface definitely does feel different. But not in the sense of jagged and sharp but instead mostly just rough.

  (Remember, when your veneer was made your dentist probably trimmed back your tooth’s front surface just a little. And that’s what your tooth should feel like, roughened (by the trimming process) but still relatively flat and smooth. (See picture.)

• When looking at your tooth, you’ll probably notice that it doesn’t have the same glass-like glossy sheen as your other teeth. And you’ll find that it’s also slightly smaller than before and its color may be off.

▲Section references – Roman-Rodriguez

2) Cases where a portion of the veneer remains on your tooth.

In terms of creating an emergency, this is usually the more troublesome scenario. That’s because there is often some tooth sharpness to contend with. (Discussed below.)

As far as exactly what you’ll find when you investigate, there’s not all that much to say. You’ll both see and feel that there are now portions of your tooth (veneer actually) that are missing.

What’s missing might range from a large section or else just a small piece. Either way, the important thing here is to be careful with any sharpness the new configuration has created.

2) Checking your veneer.

Even after initially spitting out, you should still investigate your mouth to make sure any additional bits of the veneer have been removed too.

A good idea is to gently rinse your mouth and spit out into a bowl where the liquid can be examined for additional pieces. That way, you stand a better chance of achieving the luxury of accounting for all of the veneer.

a) What you’re hoping to find.

• If you only find one piece and it’s fairly sizable, then there’s a chance that your tooth’s laminate may not have broken but instead debonded (come off whole without breaking).

  This is a big deal because if it has, your dentist can probably reattach it.

• If instead you find that your veneer has broken into parts, the pieces are probably of little more than a curiosity to your dentist. Having them won’t assist in the repair process.

FYI – Since what will be needed to fix your tooth is so dependent upon precisely what has occurred, we’ve dedicated an entire page to this subject: “Damaged porcelain veneer repair – Options and possibilities.”

b) Inspecting your veneer.

Use the following points to help you get an idea if your veneer is still fully intact or not.

Look for a confluent outline form with no sharp breaks.

• Obviously, when you look down on the veneer’s convex (shiniest) side, it should look exactly like a tooth. The edges on this side will generally be rounded and smooth to the touch. (See picture up above.)
• The veneer’s internal (concave) surface may be harder to assess. Its outline form will typically look relatively symmetrical. The edges on this side, however, can be expected to have some sharpness to them.
• You can also evaluate your tooth. If you see broken segments still attached to it, you obviously have your answer. (Be careful. Shards of porcelain like these can be sharp to your fingers, tongue, cheeks and lips.)

  As mentioned above, usually the bonding that originally held the veneer in place will come off with it, leaving bare tooth structure (enamel) showing.

c) Store your veneer carefully.

If you find that your veneer seems fully intact, and if you can get it in that shape to your dentist’s office, having it will probably save you the cost of having a new one made. So, wrap it up in some bathroom tissue and then place it in a hard protective container, like a medicine bottle.

If instead you find that your veneer is broken, go ahead and save the parts you’ve found to show to your dentist, but most likely they’ll only be a curiosity to them.

3) Let your dentist know you have a problem.

You will, of course, need to contact your dentist’s office and report to them what you’ve experienced. And armed with the information you’ve accumulated, you should be able to give them a pretty full accounting.

Having this information, along with an update of how you and your tooth are doing and are coping with your new reality, they can then make arrangements with you for your tooth’s evaluation and repair.

4) What to expect in the meantime.

a) Cosmetic emergencies.

Most veneer emergencies are probably best described as strictly cosmetic ones. Usually, no significant difficulties will exist or crop up with the tooth other than the fact that it simply doesn’t look right.

That’s not to say that a person’s cosmetic concerns aren’t important or valid. However, your ability to get these types of issues resolved, permanently or even temporarily, will simply depend on your dentist’s availability in scheduling you for an appointment.

No good home-remedy solutions exist for resolving cosmetic issues. Possibly placing white dental wax over the tooth (explained below) can temporarily improve its appearance. We can’t imagine any scenario where a dentist would encourage any sort of self-treatment in reattaching the veneer, so don’t.

b) Your tooth itself will probably be just fine.

While you may notice some sharpness or transient air or thermal sensitivity associated with your tooth (both discussed below), you can generally expect that it will be OK.

You may not remember but …

In most cases, when your veneer was originally placed only a minimal amount of your tooth’s front surface was trimmed away. And in some cases, like when Lumineer® veneers (ultra-thin porcelain veneers) are made, possibly no trimming was performed at all.

And because it’s the norm that a veneered tooth has been altered so minimally, the outlook for its health and wellbeing, just because its veneer covering has come off (all or a portion of it), shouldn’t be expected to be a major concern between now and when you get in to see your dentist.

If you need more reassuring –

With many veneer cases, no temporaries are placed. That means that the patient’s teeth are left uncovered (like your tooth that’s lost its veneer is now) for the entire one to two weeks while their permanent laminates are being made.

Extenuating circumstances.

All of what’s stated on this page only applies to situations where a veneer has debonded or fractured under relatively passive circumstances (like unexpectedly biting into something hard). The outlook for veneered teeth that have undergone direct trauma is a different matter and the health outlook for the tooth might be different. This type of situation requires evaluation by your dentist.

c) What you are likely to experience with damaged veneers.

Since your tooth has lost its veneer, and therefore some or all of its front covering, …

• You may notice that your tooth has increased sensitivity to hot or cold foods and beverages.
• In similar fashion, your tooth could possibly display some level of air sensitivity, like when drawing cold air into your mouth.
• You may find roughness or sharpness associated with your tooth, especially in cases where a part of the broken veneer remains attached to it.

What should you do?

As basic precautions for teeth that have broken or lost veneers.

• It only makes sense that if something tends to irritate your tooth that you should avoid that activity. So minimize its exposure to hot and cold extremes and air.
• Avoid any activities or habits that will direct forces to the tooth (biting, chewing, teeth clenching).
• Manage the difficulties you experience using first-aid measures. (Discussed next.)

5) First-aid and home remedies for lost or broken veneers.

1) Apply white dental wax over the tooth.

If you do experience trouble with air or thermal sensitivity, or especially surface roughness, placing a protective layer of wax over your tooth can help to provide relief.

• Most drugstores sell white dental wax. (It’s frequently needed by orthodontic patients to cover over sharp brackets and wires.)
• Just squish a small, flattened piece of it over your tooth. Letting it work its way in between your teeth somewhat will help to hold it in place.
• Expect that the wax will dislodge easily, so remove it at times like before eating or at bedtime.

2) Wear your mouthguard.

In cases where the amount of sharpness associated with a damaged veneer is severe and can’t be managed, just wear your nightguard, sports mouthpiece, or with some designs, your orthodontic retainer.

If you don’t have one of these types of appliances, you might purchase a DIY mouthguard at your local pharmacy. (Forming these appliances involves heating them up, so if you are experiencing thermal sensitivity with your tooth, that might be a precluding consideration for this remedy.)

3) Assistance from your dentist.

While clearly not an at-home or DIY remedy, for situations where tooth sharpness is a factor that can’t be managed, don’t overlook calling your dentist’s office again.

Just because they can’t schedule a repair appointment for you immediately doesn’t mean that they won’t offer to have you stop by so they can buff down a sharp irritating point. Doing so should be painless and just take a few moments.

6) Your repair appointment.

Scheduling.

As far as receiving definitive treatment for your situation goes, you’ll usually find yourself at the mercy of your dentist’s schedule.

Generally, a lost-veneer scenario falls under the category of ‘cosmetic dilemma’ as opposed to an emergency where there are actual concerns about the health outlook for you and your tooth. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that complications can’t arise or that your cosmetic situation isn’t important.

Hairline Crack In Front Tooth Pain

• When you call your dentist’s office, be sure to give them a complete accounting of what’s transpired, what you’ve since noticed, and how that has affected you. They can then decide what level of attention you require.
• If anything changes before your appointment, make sure that you notify them so they can pass judgment on those issues too.

What type of repair will be made?

Because the range of possible repairs for lost veneers is so dependent on the specific circumstances of each case, we now discuss this topic on its own page.

7) Hopefully you can learn from what’s taken place.

For future reference in avoiding problems, it makes sense to take note of what activity broke, or immediately preceded the breaking of your veneer. (For example, fingernail biting and teeth clenching can place excessive forces on laminates.)

Be sure to discuss your circumstances and thoughts with your dentist. They may be able to suggest some solutions too. (For example, the forces generated by nighttime teeth grinding can be mitigated by wearing a dental nightguard.)

Underlying causes of veneer fracture and debonding.

The type of veneer emergency that you’ve experienced can give your dentist a hint about what type of underlying problem lies at hand.

a) Debonding.

A porcelain veneer is a sandwiched affair, consisting of tooth, cement and ceramic. When one debonds (comes off its tooth, primarily in one piece), the separation may have taken place either at the ceramic/cement junction or else the tooth/cement one.

What usually happens.

• Assuming that the original placement conditions were ideal, the most common failure point lies at the tooth and cement interface.
• The most likely cause for this is that the tooth surface to which the veneer has been bonded involves a high percentage of dentin (the tooth layer underneath dental enamel).

Explanation.

Dental materials will create a bond with dentin. But the strength of this bond is far weaker than the one possible with dental enamel (use the link above for more details).

If a high percentage of the tooth’s surface is exposed dentin, the strength of the tooth-to-cement interface will be comparatively weak.

Solutions.

As explained above, a dentist can attempt to re-bond the veneer. Unfortunately, the same underlying condition will still persist (not enough tooth enamel is present to create a secure bond) and therefore further episodes of debonding may be likely.

Especially in the case of repeated failure, making a dental crown for the tooth instead may be the only lasting solution.

b) Fracture.

Considering the thin, fragile nature of porcelain veneers, it may be surprising to most people that breakage or fracturing happens as seldom as it does.

What To Do With Hairline Crack In Front Tooth

These restorations work because when they’re bonded onto enamel, it’s the more rigid of the two and therefore tends to absorb most of the forces directed to the tooth.

Cracking.

When a veneer cracks, it suggests that the opposite is the case. The forces applied have been directed to it instead of tooth structure.

As an example, when a veneer is bonded to primarily tooth dentin (the problem discussed above) the laminate is the stiffer of the two. This tends to focus forces applied to the tooth to the veneer, thus leading to fracture.

Chipping.

In some cases, just a small chip may have broken off a porcelain veneer (like off of its biting edge).

Hairline Crack Front Tooth

This would simply be a testament to the fact that the tooth/veneer complex has been able to successfully withstand the pressures applied to it. However, the forces applied exceeded the internal strength of the ceramic itself.

The activity that caused the chipping might be a one-time event, like unexpectedly biting into something hard. But often it’s a parafunctional habit that is the problem and must be curtailed (clenching teeth, biting fingernails).

Hairline Crack Front Tooth

Page references sources:

Roman-Rodriguez JL, et al. Cleaning and retreatment protocol for a debonded ceramic restoration.

Hairline Crack In Front Tooth Repair

All reference sources for topic Porcelain Veneers.