Cracked tooth syndrome is exactly what the name implies, a tooth with a crack. This phenomenon is not quite that simple however. Teeth can crack in all different ways, craze lines, fractured cusps, cracked tooth, split tooth or vertical root fracture. Craze lines involve the enamel. People today are not only living longer, but are keeping their longer, because of this cracked teeth are becoming more common.
Teeth can develop fractures for a number of reasons.
From repetitive chewing on your teeth, day after day, teeth may develop cracks. Each time you chew on your teeth they flex slightly from the chewing force. Chewing on hard substances or foods such as ice, popcorn kernels or candy. Trauma to the mouth such as a blow below the chin or lower jaw. It has be suggested that bone loss associated with periodontal disease can predispose a tooth to root fracture because of decreased support.