Health and Exercise

Chewing is the first stage of digestion. This process involves breaking down the food into smaller pieces making it easier for the other body organs to digest it. Our teeth make this process possible. Without the teeth, we would be drinking water our entire lives, and our body health will deteriorate since it lacks all the nutrition that it needs.

A child is born without any teeth. Slowly, he will develop 20 teeth. This set is referred to as milk teeth or baby teeth. These set of teeth will be replaced one by one by a permanent set of teeth as the child reaches the later stages. The new set of teeth is normally composed of 32 irreplaceable teeth. Sometimes the number varies since some people may not have “wisdom teeth” while others may develop supernumerary teeth. While the person gets older, the teeth are exposed to different microorganisms causing cavities and dental infections. This would lead to broken teeth.

Athletic people would most likely have broken teeth. That is because during their active workout routines, the teeth are exposed to several causes of damage. Based on the degree of damage, broken teeth are of different types.

The layer of the teeth which the damaged part covers determines the extent of the damage. To recall, the teeth have the following layer: enamel, dentine, pulp and cementum. If the damage of the teeth is only within the enamel, there is usually no pain felt. Meanwhile, if the damage covers the inner layers of the teeth, then there will surely be pain. Different damages require different treatments. For instance, if the injury has already reached the innermost layers of the teeth such as the nerves, a root canal treatment will be necessary.

As mentioned earlier, there are different types of broken teeth. The most common ones are minor cracks. These are fractures on the surface of the teeth. Usually, no treatment is required especially if there is no pain involved. The more severe type of a crack is a chip. Although it is not required, chips are often treated since there is the tendency of worsening the injury if it is left as it is. Then, there are cusp fractures which make it difficult for you to eat your food. More serious fractures are those that have reached the internal parts of the teeth. Also, these types of injury often lead to infection. Ergo, it must be treated as early as possible.

Treatment for broken teeth comes in different forms. Fillings are commonly used for minor fractures. Sometimes, fillings are also applied to more serious fractures; however, dental crowns are more recommended. Dental crowns are also applied to severe fractures. Aside from that, severe fractures require operation. Sometimes periodontal surgery is needed. When the nerve and vessels are exposed, there is a huge risk of getting an infection. So, dentists usually remove those damaged parts for additional protection as well. The treatment that is going to be performed will depend on the person and the type of injury. That is because every man is different even in little ways such as their teeth’s structure.