The enamel on your teeth can be compared to the face of a delicate looking porcelain doll. Even though synthetic enamel is strong enough to weather years of being a little girl’s best friend, eventually tiny fractures will occur in a porcelain doll. Your teeth are covered with enamel which is very similar to porcelain. Enamel is the strongest substance in your entire body, teeth tend to be very used, and sometimes abused. When enamel succumbs to the rigors of time and misuse, you are at risk for developing small vertical fractures on your teeth called craze lines.
Cover Up the Crazy
Craze lines are fortunately very shallow, so you shouldn’t worry that you’re going to end up with terrible tooth decay or deeper cracks just because you have these shallow fractures in your smile. The primary concern for people who end up with craze lines is cosmetic. When food and drinks (such as coffee, red and purple berries, and wine) get stuck in the cracks of your craze lines, the fractures become much more visible to the naked eye. Many patients ask about teeth whitening to cover up their craze lines. If your stains don’t respond to whitening, however, other cosmetic procedures such as tooth-colored fillings or porcelain veneers will help to restore your line-free smile.
Avoiding the Crazy
Just what causes craze lines? While they can occur over time with normal wear and tear, the problem is expedited thanks to certain actions. For example, pencil nibbling and nail biting can lead to lines in your smile Using your teeth as a tool (such as to crack nuts, open packages, cans, or bottles) will also turn flawless teeth into fractured ones. Wearing oral jewelry (lip and tongue rings) is another common craze line culprit. Don’t forget teeth grinding. If you have bruxism and it is untreated, you could end up grinding your teeth all the way to craze line city. Meanwhile, a vertical fracture which extends below the gumline and goes down the root will lead to a lost tooth. Bacteria courses down the resulting deep gum pocket because the gum tissue cannot attach to the root where there is a vertical crack, causing chronic infection with no possibility of repair. This is why it is always wise to have fractures checked by Dr. Engelberg.
ABOUT YOUR LINCOLNSHIRE DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
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