Occlusal adjustment for initial treatment and prevention of the cracked tooth syndrome

Cracked Teeth: A Review of the Literature

“…Once symptoms have resolved and the tooth has been deemed restorable, a buildup and full coverage restoration is placed 23,48 . Other authors advocate occlusal adjustment in addition to crown placement 30 . Aside from some isolated presentations of case reports, only one clinical trial conducted to support the use of extracoronal restorations in the treatment of cracked teeth was found in this review of the literature.…”

“…The role of occlusion is often cited in the development of CTS and coronal fractures. The wedging effect of the cusp–fossa relationship has been attributed to being a primary factor in cuspal fractures 15,18,29–31 . It appears that cuspal anatomy can contribute to fracture potential in that nonfunctional cusps appear to fracture with a higher frequency.…”

Cracked tooth syndrome. Part 1: aetiology and diagnosis

“…The importance of an early diagnosis has being linked with successful restorative management and prognosis. 35 A careful history and assessment of the symptoms, in particular that of cold sensitivity and sharp pain on biting hard or tough food which ceases on the release of pressure, is an important indicator. Symptoms may vary according to the depth and orientation of the crack.…”

Cracked tooth syndrome. Part 2: restorative options for the management of cracked tooth syndrome

“…3 However, it has been argued that simply grinding the tooth out of occlusion is likely to be only of limited benefi t as the tooth may still be critically stressed by a food bolus to such an extent that the process of fl exure will still continue on loading. 4 Furthermore, occlusal adjustment may not only involve the removal of healthy sound tooth tissue, but when undertaken without analysing the effects on the residual dentition may also lead to unwanted occlusal interferences elsewhere in the dental arch.…”