Often, yes. A cracked tooth from hard Halloween candy should be looked at by a dentist soon, even when it does not hurt. A crack gives bacteria a path into the tooth, and chewing can push the crack deeper. Call right away if you have pain, swelling, bleeding, or a sharp edge cutting your tongue or cheek.
At Densley Dental in Henderson, NV, we see broken teeth once the candy bowls come out. If you cracked a tooth, call our emergency dentist in Henderson and tell the team what happened. We have cared for Henderson and Las Vegas families since 1991.
Treat it as urgent. How fast you need care depends on what you feel and what you see.
Call for a same day visit if you have strong pain, pain when you bite down, swelling, bleeding, a loose tooth, or a jagged edge cutting your tongue. These point to a crack that has gone past the surface.
Book a prompt visit even without pain, when the tooth only looks different or feels rough. A dentist can see how deep the crack goes and protect it before it splits. Our dental emergency page covers what counts as urgent.
Yes. A tooth can break with no pain at all, and that is one of the most common questions we hear.
The outer layer of your tooth is enamel, and enamel has no nerves. A shallow crack in enamel can feel like nothing. Under it is dentin, and under that is the pulp, where the nerve lives. Once a crack reaches those layers, the tooth turns sensitive to cold, sweet food, or biting pressure.
Pain is a late signal with a cracked tooth, not an early one. The quiet stage is the best time to fix it, because the repair is usually simpler.
Take a few simple steps, then call a dentist.
Do not file the tooth down or glue a piece back on. Home repairs trap bacteria and make the real fix harder. If the whole tooth came out instead, read how to handle a knocked out tooth.
Hard candy and frozen treats are tougher than most people expect, and your back teeth take the force.
Jawbreakers, brittle, toffee, caramel with nuts, and candy straight from the freezer are the usual causes. Biting down on something that will not give puts that force back into your tooth. Teeth with large old fillings crack more easily, because less natural tooth is holding things together.
Sticky candy causes a different problem. It pulls rather than cracks, which is how fillings and crowns come loose. If that is what happened to you, see what to do after you lose a filling or crown.
If a piece broke off the edge instead, see why you should not wait with a chipped tooth.
Go to the emergency room or call 911 for trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling that spreads toward your eye, face, or neck, bleeding that will not stop, or a head injury.
For the tooth itself, a dentist is the right place. An emergency room is not set up to repair a tooth. Our post on the ER or an emergency dentist explains the difference.
The repair depends on how deep the crack goes, so the exam comes first.
At Densley Dental, Dr. Aman Sidhu, DDS examines the tooth, checks how you bite, and uses our 3D CT scanner on site when a closer look is needed. A shallow crack or small chip may be smoothed or repaired with bonding. A deeper crack usually needs a crown to hold the tooth together. A crack that reaches the nerve may need root canal treatment first, then a crown.
Dr. Sidhu is team dentist of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Aces, so broken teeth are familiar ground. We accept most PPO plans, offer an in house membership plan, and work with Cherry for financing. See our insurance and financing page.
You do not have to skip the candy. A few habits lower the risk.
Often yes. A crack lets bacteria reach the inner layers of the tooth, and the crack can spread when you chew. Call a dentist right away if you have pain, swelling, bleeding, or a sharp edge. Even a quiet crack should be checked soon.
Yes. A small crack or a chip in enamel can feel like nothing at first because enamel has no nerves. Pain can start later if the crack reaches the softer layers inside. A tooth that does not hurt still needs an exam.
Rinse with warm water, save any pieces in a clean container, and use a cold compress on your cheek if it swells. Chew on the other side and call your dentist to be seen. Do not try to file or glue the tooth yourself.
No. Tooth enamel does not grow back, so a crack does not close up. A dentist can protect the tooth and stop the crack from spreading. Waiting gives the crack more chances to get deeper.
It depends on how deep the crack goes. Small chips may be smoothed or repaired with bonding. A larger crack often needs a crown to hold the tooth together. A crack that reaches the nerve may need root canal treatment before the crown.
Call as early as you can and describe what happened. Densley Dental sees patients Monday through Friday at 8955 S. Pecos Rd, Ste. 2A in Henderson, and the team will tell you how soon to come in.
A cracked tooth does not get better on its own, and it is easier to treat before it spreads. Densley Dental is at 8955 S. Pecos Rd, Ste. 2A, Henderson, NV 89074, open Monday through Friday. Call (702) 212-6641, or read more on our emergency dental care page.
