Results of Fractured Teeth – Hendry County Sheriff’s Department

This post is by request from the officers at Hendry County Sheriff’s Department demonstrating possible changes that occur with tooth fractures.

This fourth premolar demonstrates dark areas around each root tip.  This is a result of the tooth dying and the bone being destroyed around the root.  Once the pulp dies these changes occur over a period of months.  The patient is painful but most of the time does not show a distinct pain response to the handler or owner.  A root canal can be done to save a tooth even at this stage.  Allowing this to progress may result in further pain and compromise to other body systems.

This mandibular canine tooth has had a root canal procedure and a crown placed.  This radiograph was taken at the time of the crown placement and you can see the area around the root tip here is dark as well, indicating bone destruction.  This will heal as the source of the infection is removed with the root canal procedure.  The diseased pulp is replaced with gutta percha, which represents the white material within the root canal.

This is a patient following placement of four cast metal alloy crowns.  Crowns are placed to protect the integrity of root canal therapy and to protect the tooth from excessive wear like cage chewing and other trauma.  One last comment, the tooth does not have to be exposed by fracture for this to occur.  Dentin exposure due to wear or blunt trauma can also result in the same outcome.  Only x-rays can determine if this is occurring in these cases.