Fixing a cracked tooth can cost a few hundred dollars or several thousand, and the gap between those two figures is mostly about timing. A crack found while it is still shallow can often be managed with a bonded filling or a crown. Once it reaches the nerve or splits the tooth, root canal treatment, extraction and replacement come into the conversation, and the bill grows with each step.
This guide sets out the types of crack, the treatment each one usually needs, typical Australian market costs, and the symptoms that suggest you should book sooner rather than later.
Five kinds of crack, five different price points
The American Association of Endodontists describes five types of cracked teeth. Which one you have largely decides both the treatment and the cost.
Craze lines
Very fine lines in the outer enamel. They are extremely common in adult teeth, rarely cause pain and usually need no treatment. If one on a front tooth bothers you cosmetically, bonding is sometimes used to mask it.
Fractured cusp
One of the pointed corners of a back tooth breaks away, often beside an old filling. Because the break rarely reaches the nerve, pain is usually mild. A new filling, an onlay or a crown generally restores the tooth.
Cracked tooth
This is the type behind the name cracked tooth syndrome. The crack starts on the chewing surface and runs down towards the root. While the nerve is still healthy, a crown can often hold the tooth together. If the nerve is inflamed or infected, root canal treatment usually comes first, followed by a crown.
Split tooth
A cracked tooth left long enough can separate into two pieces. Keeping the whole tooth is rarely possible at this stage. Occasionally part of it can be saved; more often it is removed.
Vertical root fracture
A crack that begins in the root and works upwards. These often cause few symptoms until the bone or gum around the tooth becomes infected, and they are seen more often in teeth that have had root canal treatment. Most need extraction, followed by an implant, a bridge or a partial denture if you want the gap filled.
Typical market costs by treatment
The figures below are typical Australian private market ranges, not Lumi Dental fees. What you pay depends on the tooth, the materials used and what the examination finds. For Lumi's own pricing and current offers, see our deals page.
| Treatment | Typical market range | Usually used for |
|---|---|---|
| Check-up and clean | $200 to $400 | Routine care, where a crack is often first suspected |
| Composite bonding | $250 to $800 per tooth | Small chips, a cosmetic craze line, minor cusp repairs |
| Crown | $1,500 to $2,500 | A cracked tooth with a healthy nerve, or after root canal treatment |
| Root canal treatment | About $1,000 (front tooth) to $3,000 (molar) | A crack that has reached the nerve in a tooth that can be kept |
| Simple extraction | $200 to $350 | A tooth that cannot be saved and comes out easily |
| Surgical extraction | $400 to $900 | A split tooth or fractured root that needs a more involved removal |
| Single implant with crown | $4,000 to $7,000 | Replacing the tooth after extraction |
| Three-unit bridge | $3,500 to $6,500 | Replacing the tooth using the neighbouring teeth for support |
A deeply cracked molar that needs both root canal treatment and a crown combines two of these lines, which is why it costs several times more than a crown alone. Onlays, 3D imaging and other items vary widely and are best quoted after an examination.
What health funds tend to cover
Most extras policies contribute towards examinations, X-rays, fillings and crowns, but the amount depends on your level of cover, waiting periods and annual limits. Larger work such as root canal treatment followed by a crown can use up a yearly limit quickly, so a gap payment is common. Asking for a written treatment plan with item numbers lets you check with your fund before you commit. At Lumi, health fund claims are processed on the spot through HICAPS.
How a cracked tooth tends to feel
The typical complaint is a short, sharp pain when biting on one particular spot, sometimes followed by a jolt as you let go. This release pain happens because the two sides of the crack flex apart under load and snap back together. Because the crack only opens at certain angles, the pain is intermittent. You may go days without noticing anything, then bite a crust or a seed the wrong way and feel it again.
Brief sensitivity to cold or sweet is also common, as is a vague sense that one tooth feels different to chew on. Cracks can be hard to pin down, and pain sometimes seems to come from a neighbouring tooth or the opposite jaw. Many people can recall the moment it started, such as biting on an olive pip, a popcorn kernel or ice.
Cold sensitivity is not always a crack. Exposed root surfaces, gum recession and recent whitening are far more common causes of brief twinges, as our article on sensitive teeth explains. Sharp pain on biting is the more telling clue.
Signs the crack may have gone further
Most cracked teeth are not emergencies, but these changes suggest the nerve or the surrounding tissues are now involved and should be seen within days:
- a constant, throbbing ache rather than pain only on biting;
- sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers well after the drink is finished;
- swelling, a pimple on the gum or a bad taste near the tooth;
- a tooth that feels loose or moves when pressed;
- a visible line on the tooth, especially one that has darkened.
Facial swelling or fever needs urgent care the same day, and difficulty breathing, speaking or swallowing needs a hospital emergency department straight away. Our guide to a tooth abscess explains why.
Why cracks are easy to miss
A crack that is causing real pain can be invisible on an ordinary X-ray, because the fault line is extremely thin and the two halves sit tightly together. Finding it usually means combining several checks.
- Bite testing. You bite on a small plastic tool placed on one cusp at a time. Pain on biting or on release often points to the cracked section.
- Bright light and magnification. Shining a strong light through the tooth can make a crack show as a shadow, and magnification helps trace its path.
- Gum probing. A single narrow, deep pocket next to an otherwise healthy tooth can suggest a crack running down the root.
- Nerve testing. Cold tests help show whether the nerve is healthy, inflamed or no longer responding, which steers treatment.
- 3D imaging. A 3D scan may show bone changes that suggest a root fracture, though it may still not show the crack itself.
Sometimes a diagnosis takes more than one visit. In borderline cases a dentist may place a temporary band or crown to stop the tooth flexing and see whether the pain settles before deciding on the final treatment. At Lumi, OPG and 3D scans are taken on site with an Orthophos 3D X-ray unit.
What usually causes the crack
Back teeth crack most often because they carry most of the chewing load. Grinding and clenching, frequently during sleep, add repeated force over years. Large old fillings, particularly amalgam fillings, which do not bond to the tooth, can act like a wedge and push the walls of the tooth apart. Teeth that have had root canal treatment have usually lost a lot of their structure to decay and previous work, leaving them weaker. A sudden hard bite on ice, a pip or a bone can crack a healthy tooth and is even more likely to crack a weakened one. Knocks during sport or a fall can leave hairline cracks that only cause symptoms weeks later.
Until you can be seen
These steps do not treat the crack, but they can stop it getting worse and keep you comfortable for a day or two.
- Chew on the other side and stick to softer foods.
- Avoid very hot, very cold and very hard foods on that tooth.
- Keep brushing gently with a soft brush so the area stays clean.
- Use over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packet, and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure which is suitable for you.
- If a piece has broken off, keep it and bring it with you.
- Phone the practice. If the pain becomes constant or swelling appears, say so, as that changes how urgently you need to be seen.
Earlier treatment usually means simpler treatment
A crack does not heal. Enamel and dentine cannot regrow, so treatment aims to hold the tooth together and stop the crack spreading. Left alone, the American Association of Endodontists notes that a cracked tooth will progressively worsen and can eventually be lost.
Outcomes after treatment are encouraging when cracks are managed early. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Dentistry (Zhang and colleagues) found that cracked teeth with a living nerve had tooth survival of roughly 93 to 98 per cent over one to six years. Teeth repaired with a filling that did not cover the cusps had a higher risk of nerve problems and extraction than those restored with a full crown, and root-filled cracked teeth without a full crown were about 11 times more likely to be extracted. The review also suggested that a crack causing no symptoms may sometimes simply be monitored.
Lowering the risk of another crack
No tooth is crack-proof, but several habits help.
If you grind or clench, ask about an occlusal splint. The Australian Dental Association notes that a splint does not stop grinding but helps protect teeth from the wear and damage it causes. Our article on night guards covers the options. Large old fillings can be checked at routine visits, and a tooth with a big filling may be better protected with an onlay or crown. A crown is often recommended after root canal treatment on a back tooth for the same reason. For contact sport, a mouthguard is worth wearing; custom-fitted guards fit better and are more comfortable than boil-and-bite types. And it helps to avoid chewing ice, pen lids, hard lollies and bones.
Regular check-ups give your dentist or OHT the chance to spot a fractured cusp or failing filling before it turns into a split tooth.
What patients ask about cracked tooth costs
Can a crown be done without a root canal?
Often, yes. If the nerve is still healthy, a crown alone may stabilise the tooth. Root canal treatment is added only if the nerve is inflamed or infected, either at the start or if symptoms persist after the crown or a temporary is placed.
How long can I wait?
It is best not to wait long. A crack that is stable today can extend with one awkward bite. Pain that becomes constant, or sensitivity that lingers, is a sign to be seen within days.
Is extraction the cheapest option?
Removing the tooth costs less on the day, but replacing it later with an implant or bridge usually costs more than saving it would have. Leaving a gap can also let neighbouring teeth drift. The right choice depends on whether the tooth can realistically be kept.
Can a cracked tooth become infected?
Yes. If the crack reaches the nerve, bacteria can follow it in and cause inflammation and eventually an abscess. Throbbing pain, swelling, a gum pimple or a bad taste are signs to book promptly.
Getting a clear answer
If one tooth hurts when you bite, even now and then, a focused examination is usually the quickest way to find out whether it is cracked and what keeping it would involve. We explain what we find, and you will usually receive a written treatment plan with an estimate, often by email, before treatment starts. You can see our current offers for first visit details.
