The dentist says i have a small crack in a tooth which is causing sensitivity to cold. should i see an endodontist? the dentist said i might need a root canal or i might need a cap; but it is not clear to me how this is to be determined. i worry that th

It's : It's unlikely that your tooth was cracked during your cleaning visit. Oftentimes teeth can become sensitive after a cleaning and then return to normal. In your case the question is whether you need a root canal or a crown, both or nothing. A referral to an endodontist is a good idea because through proper testing and evaluation an endodontist is probably most experienced with these situations and can help you dentist come up with a definitive answer..

Agree : Agree with dr. Scharf and i also think that it is highly unlikely that a dental cleaning caused a fracture.. One other thing you need to keep in mind is that not all cracked teeth are amenable to treatment by a root canal procedure and crown. In cases where the fracture extends down onto the root surface and extraction may be indicated. The first step is to have an endodontist for a through evaluation.

See the endodontist: A crack can only get worse. Sometimes we will do a provisional (temporary) crown to see if this will help. If so, then that is the answer and we proceed with the final crown. If it doesn't help, then more than the crack is causing the pain. If you get the root canal treatment, you must get the crown soon after to protect the tooth. Have the endodontist check with microscope to see where crack goes.