For a couple of years my dental hygenist and dentist have been telling me I have small cracks in my teeth, which they suspected were due to teeth grinding or clenching. I did not have any other symptoms of grinding teeth in my sleep (no headaches, jaw pain, partner not aware of it, etc.), so I didn't take it too seriously. Now I started having a pain in 1 tooth just when I bite down on it. This started only a few weeks after my most recent check-up and X-rays, in which my teeth were pronounced clean, but they warned me again about small cracks. When I talked to my dentist on the phone, she immediately suspected where the pain is without me telling her (after she checked my records -- as she had seen the crack there during my check-up), and said I need a crown (and possibly even root canal work??). She said this can happen even with just clenching, not necessarily grinding. Is this the only way to treat a crack in a tooth? There is no way to fill it or close it up? And how will it be decided whether a root canal is also needed? Will it have to be decided on the spot? Will there be any chance to think about it? I am 38 and have always had nearly perfect teeth and good hygiene so needing all this work is quite a change for me (and I should add I have now started wearing a night guard).
Thank you for your advice!