What Happens if You Have a Broken Wisdom Tooth?
| Key Takeaways: A broken wisdom tooth can be extremely painful, and can negatively impact your oral and overall health. Extraction of the broken tooth is often the best option to address both the discomfort of a broken tooth and prevent future issues. |
As the third set of molars located in the very back of your mouth, most people only think about wisdom teeth when they’re causing problems. These teeth usually emerge during your late teens or early 20s, if they come in at all. Despite their nice-sounding name, wisdom teeth are particularly prone to issues, including cracking, chipping, and breaking.
Wisdom teeth can break even if they’re not fully grown in, and the complicated nature of these late-growing teeth means that a tiny chip in the surface is enough to require professional evaluation. If you have—or suspect you have—a broken wisdom tooth, keep reading. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know.
Causes of a Chipped Wisdom Tooth
A broken wisdom tooth can happen for any number of reasons. Like most teeth, two common causes include biting onto something unexpectedly hard or dental trauma from being hit in the mouth or face.
If you grind your teeth regularly, a condition also known as bruxism, you can weaken your wisdom teeth along with others in your mouth, making them more likely to break. Tooth decay and cavities, common with wisdom teeth due to their difficult-to-clean location, can also make your teeth more susceptible to damage.
Unlike the other teeth in your mouth, wisdom teeth can break even when they’re not visible above the surface of your gums. Due to persistent pressure from the surrounding teeth and gums, a wisdom tooth that isn’t growing properly may break even without external forces. In fact, partially erupted wisdom teeth are more likely to crack than any other teeth.
Cracked Wisdom Tooth Symptoms
Intense pain, increased sensitivity to heat and cold, and discomfort in the affected tooth are the primary symptoms of a cracked or broken wisdom tooth.
The pain of a broken wisdom tooth may be sharp or throbbing. You may struggle to open your mouth normally, and you may be able to feel the break in the tooth with your tongue, even if you can’t see it. Signs of infection, such as swelling, bad breath, or discharge from the tooth area are more indications that something is wrong.
Even if you are experiencing clear cracked wisdom tooth symptoms, it is difficult to confirm it yourself. This is especially true with fully or partially impacted wisdom teeth. Using x-rays and other dental tools, an oral surgeon will be better able to assess the situation and offer a diagnosis.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore a Broken Wisdom Tooth
A cracked wisdom tooth can be extremely uncomfortable, but that localized pain is just the start. The risks of an untreated broken wisdom tooth include an abscess, gum disease, bone loss, and the spread of infection throughout the mouth and body. Wisdom teeth that cracked due to improper growth risk damaging other teeth as well, either weakening them or causing their misalignment.
Infection, or pericoronitis, is extremely common with broken wisdom teeth. Their location at the back of the mouth makes cleaning these teeth challenging in even the best circumstances. Gaps in the tooth left by cracks or breakage create space for bacteria to grow.
Left untreated, infection and gum disease that start in a chipped wisdom tooth can spread to the rest of the mouth, impacting not only the health of your smile but your overall well-being too.
Treatment Options for a Broken Wisdom Tooth
Whether your wisdom tooth is chipped or shattered, seek treatment right away. Getting help from your oral surgeon quickly can help to prevent infection and damage to other teeth, while also providing relief from cracked wisdom tooth pain and discomfort.
Conservative Treatment (for Minimal Damage)
For a chipped wisdom tooth with minimal damage, a full extraction or root canal may not be necessary. In some instances, you may be able to keep your wisdom teeth. Your oral surgeon will likely assess the tooth, looking for the cause of the chip. Sometimes, a weakened tooth is a sign of bigger problems, which may require more intense treatment.
If only moderate treatment is needed, your dentist may recommend a filling, dental bonding, or a crown on the tooth. These efforts will seal and restore the tooth to prevent infection, decay, and any further damage to the tooth.
Root Canal or Broken Wisdom Tooth Extraction (for Extensive Damage)
If your broken wisdom tooth is affecting the teeth around it, a root canal or extraction is often necessary for your ongoing overall oral health.
During a root canal, a dentist or endodontist will remove the infected pulp inside of your tooth, filling it with a rubbery substance called gutta-percha. This acts as a permanent filling for the inside of your tooth. A dental filling is used to close the tooth, and a crown is applied over the top. Root canals effectively save the tooth, and often cost less than removing it.
Many dentists and oral surgeons recommend removing cracked or chipped wisdom teeth even if they’re not yet causing issues, so broken wisdom tooth extraction is very common. If the tooth is fully or partially impacted, your oral surgeon will open up the gums before removing the tooth. After pulling out the tooth, either wholly or in pieces, they will often add stitches to close the resulting wound. Most patients are back on their feet just two or three days after cracked wisdom teeth removal.
How to Manage Broken Wisdom Tooth Pain Before Treatment
A broken wisdom tooth can be extremely painful, causing discomfort with the mechanical process of eating as well as sensitivity to certain foods. If you’re not able to be treated right away, there are a few ways to manage cracked wisdom tooth pain while you wait.
- Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help to reduce pain and inflammation in and around the broken tooth. In the same way, using over-the-counter oral numbing gels is another way to get temporary relief from broken wisdom tooth pain.
- Rinsing with warm salt water offers a double dose of soothing relief and infection prevention, clearing bacteria from the site.
- Applying a cold compress to your cheek can help to manage swelling and reduce pain.
- Eating a soft diet of soup, mashed potatoes, and other easy-to-chew foods can help to reduce additional irritation in the tooth and surrounding gums.
- Avoiding foods that are extremely hot, cold, or high in sugar, all of which can trigger sensitivity and pain in the tooth.
Preventing Future Issues with Wisdom Teeth
Taking care of your teeth is one of the best ways to prevent future issues. Good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups with cleanings help to avoid gum disease and decay that weaken teeth. Your dentist should also regularly monitor the growth and condition of your wisdom teeth, allowing them to address issues before they start.
A full extraction is one of the best ways to ensure that you will not experience future problems with your wisdom teeth, especially when the risk of misalignment is present. While a dentist can perform simple extractions, an oral surgeon offers a better chance of a complication-free extraction for wisdom teeth that are impacted, cracked, or otherwise causing concern.
Related: Should I Go To An Oral Surgeon for Wisdom Teeth Extraction?
With four convenient locations across the county, Bergen Oral Surgery boasts the only dual-degree oral surgeons and medical doctors in Bergen County, NJ. That means that we’re not only knowledgeable in surgery, but in medicine—and we have more than 70 years of experience in providing excellent oral surgery services and wisdom tooth removal in NJ.
From consultation to recovery, our doctors and support team strive to make your comfort and well-being a top priority before, during, and after your wisdom tooth removal.
Whether you suspect a broken tooth or you’re recovering from an extraction, our medical team is on call to answer questions and respond to emergencies, ensuring that you get the best possible care before, during, and after treatment. If you’re experiencing the symptoms of a cracked wisdom tooth, reach out to our team for a consultation right away.
Broken Wisdom Tooth FAQ
Still have questions about your broken wisdom tooth? Here are some of the most common questions and concerns we see at Bergen Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in NJ.
Is a broken wisdom tooth an emergency?
Depending on the extent of the damage, a broken wisdom tooth can constitute a dental emergency. A shattered tooth should be treated immediately. While a chipped tooth may allow for more time without additional complications, it may also be a sign of a bigger problem under the surface, so you don’t want to put off treatment.
How to clean a cracked wisdom tooth?
Good oral care is essential to warding off infection and further damage to your tooth before treatment. Brush your teeth regularly, taking care to be extra gentle around the affected tooth. Rinse your mouth, either with clear water or salt water, after every meal. This will help to dislodge any food particles or bacteria that cause infections. A water pick with warm water can also help to target areas that are difficult to reach.
Will a broken wisdom tooth eventually fall out?
With a high likelihood of infection and rapid decay, it is possible that a rotten wisdom tooth will eventually fall out—but why would you want it to? The time that lapses between cracking the tooth and losing it will be extremely uncomfortable, and putting off treatment can have serious impacts on your overall health too.
Schedule a consultation with our team. Our expertise, experience, and 70-year successful track record in NJ make us the best oral surgeons for wisdom teeth removal in NJ.
