A cracked tooth does not stabilize on its own. Every time you bite down, the crack flexes. Over days and weeks, that flexing drives the crack deeper into the tooth, toward the root. What begins as a minor fracture can become a split that requires extraction.
Pain when biting and sensitivity to hot or cold are the most common early signs. The pattern is specific: pain that spikes when you release biting pressure, or cold sensitivity that lingers more than a few seconds, both point to a crack extending into the dentin layer.
If the crack reaches the pulp, the inner nerve chamber, a crown alone will not be enough. A root canal is required first to remove the infected nerve tissue before a crown can be placed. At that point, cost and treatment time increase significantly.
If the crack extends into or below the bone level (a vertical root fracture), the tooth typically cannot be saved. Extraction followed by an implant becomes the path forward. This outcome is almost always avoidable with early treatment.
The takeaway: the sooner we see you, the more options you have and the less treatment you will likely need.