Cracked front tooth: possible treatment methods

Why do my gums bleed?

Bleeding from the gums can occur for mechanical or pathological reasons.
The first group includes a blow to the jaw area or minor injuries due to an incorrectly selected crown or filling. In this case, bleeding goes away immediately after the problem is eliminated. Only a doctor can assess whether a crown has been chosen correctly or a filling has been installed during a face-to-face consultation, because it is difficult to see such nuances on your own. Gums can also be damaged by a brush that is too hard, intensive use of dental floss, or careless impact with other objects in an attempt to completely remove food debris. In this case, bleeding appears only after the procedure and disappears after a few minutes.

Pathological causes are associated with diseases of the oral cavity and other organs. Bleeding is a symptom:

• gingivitis - inflammation of the gums;
• stomatitis - ulcers on the oral mucosa;
• periodontitis - inflammation of the soft tissues around the tooth (localized - in several units, or generalized with damage to the entire jaw);
• leukemia (leukemia) - blood cancer with a characteristic decrease in immunity;
• intoxication with heavy metals (lead, mercury);
• diabetes mellitus, which causes weakness of the gums and blood vessels due to characteristic angiopathy.

Often gums bleed due to hormonal changes. It can be caused by pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, and puberty.

When your gums bleed when brushing your teeth

Most patients' gums do not bleed constantly. Symptoms only appear when brushing your teeth or eating hard foods. This occurs for several reasons:

• inflammation of the gums makes them more vulnerable to injury;
• the process of desquamation of the epithelium of the oral mucosa intensifies, which thins the tissue;
• capillaries located close to the gums become more permeable and bleeding occurs more easily.

The combination of all three factors leads to the fact that when brushing your teeth, your gums begin to bleed. This symptom should not be ignored. Cure the disease at an early stage is much faster and cheaper than in an advanced form. And the appearance of blood when brushing your teeth is not considered normal; it is always a sign of pathology.

Symptoms

Most classified types of cracks can be detected at home by the following signs:

• the tooth begins to ache, although it is difficult to indicate the source of pain;
• severe pain may occur when chewing food;
• Drinking hot or cold drinks can cause discomfort in the area of ​​the cracked tooth.

Predisposing factors

Bleeding gums can be caused by injury or disease. But there are a number of factors that make the risk of this symptom appearing higher.

Gums bleed in patients:

• with chronic inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity;
• with xerostomia - dry mouth;
• with reduced immunity, including HIV and AIDS;
• with vitamin deficiency, especially C and K;
• with mouth breathing;
• with poor or irregular oral hygiene.

These factors cannot be called the cause, but they contribute to the development of bleeding gums. Those for whom none of the points apply have a much greater chance of not learning about such a problem.

If your gums bleed in the morning or at night

Peak bleeding at night or in the morning indicates an unsuitable toothbrush. During brushing, the gums are injured. In this case, you need to visit the dentist and take a hygiene lesson with the selection of personal hygiene products.

Bleeding gums may not be normal. It is definitely worth finding out the cause and treating it before the disease reaches a chronic stage.

Symptoms

Small, shallow cracks usually do not show themselves in any way. If the damage is voluminous or located in the root area and puts pressure on the neurovascular bundle, the following symptoms appear:

• Increased sensitivity to temperature and chemical irritants;
• pain when chewing, inhaling cool air;
• swelling of the gums around the damaged tooth;
• formation of chips and chips.

As the symptoms become more severe, the danger of the problem becomes clear. If cracks in the front teeth do not extend beyond the border of the crown, this only affects the aesthetics of the smile line. Increased tooth sensitivity or pain indicate deeper tissue damage.

Bad breath due to bleeding gums

Bleeding from the gums is often accompanied by bad breath. There are several reasons for this:

• proliferation of bacteria against the background of inflammation;
• accumulation of soft and hard dental plaque;
• the presence of deposits under the gum that are not visible to the naked eye.

An unpleasant odor is a formidable symptom, since it does not appear immediately. This means the disease is already progressing. It is impossible to find out the cause and eliminate it on your own (without a dentist); The pathology will become chronic and it will be more difficult to cure.

EXTENSION

There are several ways your dentist can repair a cracked front tooth. A build-up, for example, usually involves applying a composite resin that is a color similar to your real teeth to fill the crack. Compared to other methods of treating a cracked tooth, bonding is one of the least expensive and requires fewer visits to the dentist. Although dental veneers can restore a tooth in just one appointment, the material used is not as durable as others. Because of its fragility, the material - according to the Cleveland Clinic. – more suitable for teeth that do not experience much chewing pressure, such as the front teeth.

A lump with pus on the gum against the background of bleeding

The appearance of a tumor on the gum can frighten anyone. The presence of a round swelling against the background of bleeding gums indicates one of the diseases:

• periodontitis - destruction of the soft tissue around the tooth with the formation of a characteristic lump;
• periodontitis - the presence of a capsule with pus on the gum due to destruction of the tooth root;
• intragingival fistula - a lump with pus inside, the contents of which, when ruptured, come out, significantly facilitating the patient’s well-being;
• periostitis (flux) - a red spherical formation on the gum, the appearance of which is accompanied by swelling of the cheeks and enlargement of the nearest lymph nodes;
• epulis is a neoplasm that does not contain pus, resulting from mechanical damage to the soft tissues of the oral cavity;
• Gingivitis is a painless lump on the gum.

Most of these conditions require urgent medical attention. If pus gets into the bloodstream or into the internal tissues of the tooth, it not only leads to severe pain, but also poses a fatal danger. If a lump appears on your gum, you should immediately go to see a dental surgeon. He will determine the cause of its formation and select treatment.

Treatment options

Depending on the type of crack, it can be masked. This applies to diagonal cracks, which I mask with veneers. A horizontal crack can be repaired. To do this, the damaged part of the tooth is removed and the remaining part is filled. In this case, a crown can be placed on the tooth.

In case of a vertical crack, the pulp is drilled out and the tooth is filled with further prosthetics.

Gums bleed in pregnant women

While carrying a child, a woman’s body undergoes restructuring: special hormones begin to be produced, and the body changes. This also applies to the oral cavity. Every second pregnant woman is diagnosed with hypertrophic gingivitis. It is manifested by an increase in gingival papillae and the appearance of bleeding.

The cause of this condition in a pregnant woman can also be the accumulation of bacteria due to an increase in the depth of the gum pockets. Bacteria accumulate in them, causing inflammation. Proper brushing helps to avoid the development of bleeding gums. It is better to use an irrigator and mouth rinses for this.

Children's gums bleed

Young children enjoy brushing their teeth the least. If parents do not control the quality of oral hygiene, gingivitis occurs. In this case, the main symptom of the disease is bleeding gums.

The physiological cause of this condition in children is the process of teething. In this case, the integrity of the gum is compromised and it can bleed.

Problems with the gums are also caused by an incorrect bite. In this case, soft tissues are injured by teeth that are incorrectly positioned relative to each other.

Wearing orthodontic appliances can damage the integrity of the gums. This especially happens when wearing braces with uneven edges. To prevent injury, locks must be treated with special wax. But children often forget to do this; as a result, braces damage soft tissues, causing bleeding.

“Disease of dirty hands” - stomatitis, also more often affects children. They take less care of hygiene, which provokes the appearance of characteristic ulcers on the mucous membrane.

Some parents believe that children do not need to treat their baby teeth, because they will still be replaced by molars. This opinion is erroneous, because caries is caused by bacteria, and their constant presence in the mouth leads to periodontitis. The disease is characterized not only by bleeding gums, but also by the appearance of bumps with pus. This condition requires immediate medical intervention, otherwise serious complications arise.

ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

Some cracks affect not only the surface, but also the inner layers of the tooth. If the crack is deep enough to reach the pulp underneath the enamel and dentin layers, a root canal may be necessary to treat the inflamed pulp and save the tooth. If a root canal is performed to treat a cracked tooth, the dentist will then place a crown on the treated tooth. Although the name of the procedure may sound intimidating, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) says that the procedure itself is similar to a simple dental filling and is relatively convenient in modern conditions.

Which doctor will help if my gums are bleeding?

If you have bleeding gums, you should consult a dentist. In the absence of complications, the doctor’s specialization does not play a role.

If the condition is complicated by the appearance of a lump with pus, you should immediately go to a dental surgeon. He will determine the type of tumor, choose treatment tactics and, if necessary, perform urgent surgery. At the Matisse Dent clinic, you don’t need to make an appointment several weeks in advance, endure pain and wait for help. With an acute condition, doctors will accept and perform surgery on the day of treatment.

SOS remedies against bleeding gums

Sometimes it’s impossible to get to the doctor and you need to wait 1-2 days until the appointment. In this case, several SOS tools will help.

1. Rinses: chlorhexidine, oak bark decoction, LACALUT Aktiv rinses with aluminum lactate and sodium fluoride, PRESIDENT Antibacterial with plant extracts - relieve inflammation, prevent bleeding.
2. Gels: Cholisal, Parodontocid - reduce pain, remove signs of inflammation.
3. Pastes: Forest balm - contains oak bark, stops bleeding, strengthens gums.

All means must be used comprehensively. First, brush your teeth, then rinse (1 minute). After this, the solution is spat out and the gums are dried with gauze: this way the gel is better fixed. Then use ointments, applying with your finger to the entire inflamed surface. If saliva comes out during treatment, you should not swallow it, you need to spit it out.

After the procedure, you should refrain from drinking for 30 minutes and from eating for 2 hours. Treatment is carried out twice a day: after breakfast and at night.

The most effective remedy for diseases in which the gums begin to bleed is antibiotics. They help to quickly relieve inflammation and improve well-being. But they are available with a prescription and are taken only as prescribed by a doctor. Therefore, you won’t be able to buy and prescribe antibiotics yourself. It is better to immediately make an appointment with a specialist so as not to waste time and money on something that will not solve the problem, but will only delay the inevitable.

Mistakes in self-medication

When trying to get rid of bleeding gums on their own, patients make a number of mistakes. Never worth it:

• start taking antibiotics without a prescription - they may not be needed, but the blow to the body will be dealt;
• Stop brushing your teeth - this will only lead to a worsening of the condition;
• getting too carried away with oral hygiene - this will not save you from complications and will not cure, but will only aggravate the situation due to systematic injury to soft tissues;
• be afraid to go to the dentist - modern treatment methods are painless and do not cause discomfort, unlike purulent complications.

Lack of timely and competent treatment of bleeding gums leads to the spread of inflammation to bone formations. As a result, teeth become loose and fall out, requiring implants to be inserted. This is much more expensive than contacting a specialist in time to solve a gum problem.

You should not let the disease progress and self-medicate; come to the Matisse Dent clinic and receive competent medical care.

Classification of dental cracks

• A horizontal crack runs parallel to the gum on the tooth. If the tooth is not treated, the upper part may break off.
• A vertical crack divides the tooth into several parts. If the crack penetrates below the gum, then an infection can penetrate into it, which will cause inflammation of the gums and tooth disease.
• A diagonal crack runs along the tooth surface at an angle. Such cracks cause a part of the tooth to break off. With timely treatment, the tooth can be restored.
• An intradental crack can affect the bone tissue of the jaw, which can lead to tooth loss.