.png)
A cracked tooth won't heal naturally. Unlike skin or bone, tooth enamel has no living cells and no blood supply, so it can't regenerate or close a crack on its own. Home remedies can ease pain and reduce the risk of infection while you wait to see a dentist, but they don't repair the tooth. Knowing the difference matters, because an untreated crack tends to get worse.
Learn about emergency dental care at our Centennial dental office → /emergency-dentistry
Why "Healing Naturally" Isn't a Thing for Teeth
A tooth has three main layers: the outer enamel, the middle dentin, and the inner pulp where nerves and blood vessels live. Enamel is the hardest material in your body but it's also non-living. It can't repair itself the way a bone fracture can knit back together. Dentin is slightly more responsive, but it still can't bridge a crack. The pulp can produce a small protective layer in response to irritation, but that's a defense reaction, not healing.
Once a crack has formed, it provides a pathway for bacteria to reach the inside of the tooth. That's how a small crack becomes a big problem — pain, infection, sometimes a dead tooth that needs a root canal or extraction.
What Home Remedies Can Do (and What They Can't)
Natural and at-home methods are useful for temporary symptom relief but they are not a permanent fix. Here's what's reasonable while you're waiting to see a dentist:
• Warm salt water rinses. Half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, swished a few times a day. Helps reduce bacteria and inflammation around the cracked tooth.
• Cold compress on the outside of the cheek. Twenty minutes on, twenty off. Reduces swelling and dulls pain.
• Over-the-counter pain relievers. Ibuprofen tends to outperform acetaminophen for dental pain because it reduces inflammation. Follow the package directions.
• Clove oil, dabbed sparingly on the gum near the tooth. Contains eugenol, which has natural numbing properties. A traditional remedy, useful in small amounts.
• Avoid the tooth when you chew. Chew on the other side. Skip ice, hard candies, popcorn kernels, and anything sticky.
• Keep the area clean. Gently brush the tooth and floss carefully. A clean tooth is a less-likely-to-get-infected tooth.
What to Skip
• Super glue, dental wax substitutes from a craft store, or any DIY adhesive — these can damage tissue and complicate the eventual fix.
• Whitening products on a cracked tooth — the chemicals can reach the nerve through the crack.
• "Tooth remineralization" pastes for an actual crack — these help with very early enamel softening, not with cracks.
• Waiting it out to see if it gets better — it won't.
Why Time Matters
Most cracked teeth fall into one of a few patterns: a craze line (a superficial enamel-only crack, usually not a problem), a fractured cusp (a piece of the chewing surface), a cracked tooth that hasn't yet split, or a split tooth that has. Early in that progression, treatment options are simpler — a bonding, a crown, sometimes nothing if the crack is purely cosmetic. Late in that progression, you're often looking at a root canal and a crown, or an extraction. The same crack treated next week is much harder to treat than the same crack treated tomorrow.
What a Dentist Actually Does
Depending on the type and depth of the crack:
• Bonding. For small chips and superficial cracks— a tooth-colored resin smooths the surface and seals the crack.
• A crown. For larger cracks that haven't reached the nerve — a custom cap covers and protects the tooth.
• Root canal plus crown. When the crack reaches the pulp, the nerve is treated and the tooth is then crowned.
• Extraction. When the crack runs below the gumline into the root, the tooth usually can't be saved. The site is then a candidate for an implant or bridge.
When to Call Same Day
• Sharp pain when biting down.
• Pain or sensitivity that lingers after hot or cold contact.
• Visible piece of tooth missing.
• Swelling around the tooth or gum.
• Pain that's keeping you up at night.
Cracked Tooth? Don't Wait to Find Out How Bad.
Call (303) 790-9323 to schedule an emergency dental apppointment or book online anytime, 24/7.
About the Authors
Drs. Bart & James Christiansen, DDS are brothers practicing in Centennial, CO. Bart has been practicing since 1988 and James since 2009. They offer general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry for the whole family.
