# Dental: Open vs Closed Fracture of a Tooth



## enascimento (Aug 12, 2016)

Can someone please explain the difference between Open vs Closed Fracture of a Tooth? 

I am looking for an overall answer but my example for today is...

"front incisors broken to the gum-line with caries"

Thanks in advance!


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## danskangel313 (Aug 12, 2016)

Caries are cavities or areas of tooth decay. So I'd assume "front incisors broken to the gum-line with caries" means each tooth was broken apart due to decay; basically the decay took over and ate away at the tooth, likely through the center, causing the tooth to crack vertically, probably in half, and apparently all the way down to the gums. Teeth are not bones, so it's not a fracture in the sense that you'd think of when you're talking about broken bones; it's more like "breaking apart" due to the bacteria/decay destroying portions that used to hold the tooth together.


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