Patients are often referred with a history of “cracks” in their tooth/teeth.
In this first case, the patient went to the EMERGENCY ROOM over a long weekend due to severe pain.
The kind RD called first thing on Tuesday am and mentioned it might be cracked…. in these cases, we insist on a scan, and the scan showed a smallish crack.
Albeit smallish, upon probing a 6mm ppd measurement was recorded.
After much discussion, and the pt shared they had already lost the same 2nd lower molar on the opposite side due to a crack, so they elected for extraction.
Of note, a root canal (and a crown) COULD HAVE SAVED this tooth… had the pt come earlier with a smaller probing measurement, and when caught early, sometimes a root canal can be avoided completely, and the tooth will just need a crown.
If your dentist or hygienist informs you of cracks and/or a 4/5 mm probing, please consider a CBCT scan as the 3D scan will show the true extent of a crack while most 2D Xrays often hide these cracks – even after it’s too late.
