Never overlook a toothache, even if you can ignore the pain.

Without proper treatment, a small toothache can develop into a severe situation. Dental problems are sometimes hidden and hard to locate.

Cracked teeth are a dental problem that is hard to spot, says Rina Permatasari, an endodontist, or tooth pulp specialist, at Pondok Indah Hospital in South Jakarta.

'€œAt first, [the cracked tooth] may only hurt a little '€” only when you bite or chew on food and get sensitive over cold temperatures. Such symptoms can last for months, but because [symptoms] are inconsistent, people tend to ignore them,'€ Rina said.

'€œWhen the crack worsens, the tooth gets loose and makes your gums inflamed,'€ Rina said at a press conference to introduce the hospital'€™s new dental clinic.

Rina said most people cracked their teeth after chewing on hard objects, such as chicken bones; or chewing on food in the wrong position. People with poor teeth structure were also at risk.

As cracks are mostly subtle and hidden, it would be hard for a dentist to locate the problem without thorough examination.

However, with all-new 3D X-ray dentistry machine like Carestream 9300 C 3D Premium system, dentists at the clinic can find alternatives to simply extracting cracked teeth.

Three dimensional: Pondok Indah offers a Carestream-9300C 3D X-ray machine

The machine offer three different approaches for dentists: panoramic views of the mouth, a cephalometric (head-measuring) imaging option and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology.

'€œIf a dentist cannot see the crack and doesn'€™t know how deep it is after an initial examination, he will need an X-ray scan with the 3D CBCT machine,'€ says Rina.

Locating cracks is hard with 2D scans, she adds. '€œWith 3D CBCT imaging, the dentist will get detailed information about a crack before advising on a solution.'€

Rina said that if the crack didn'€™t reach into the pulp of the tooth, she would only put a crown to cover the crack. However, if the crack reached the root, she would perform a root canal before applying the crown.

'€œBut if the crack is too deep and it divides the tooth, the last thing I can do is to extract the cracked tooth before further treatment, which would be replacing it with an implant,'€ she adds.

RSPI prosthodontist, or an expert in dental restoration and replacement, Jonan Angkawidjaja says that replacing extracted teeth with implants and dentures will avoid further problems after extraction.

'€œThe problems are shifting teeth structure, gum inflammation, jaw/joint disorder, changing vocal intonation and losing support for the lips and cheeks that cause someone'€™s face looks older,'€ Jonan says, adding that losing a tooth might also affect someone'€™s ability to chew.

Jonan says that patients can chose from dentures, crowns, removable implants and even overdentures with titanium implants placed in a person'€™s jawbone.

'€œArtificial teeth with titanium implants will give an optimum stability and comfort for the wearer that will boost their confidence,'€ Jonan says, adding that the implants would also minimize jawbone retraction.

Jonan added that the 3D panoramic X-ray machine plays an important part in diagnosing and treating patients. '€œThe new machine gives us detailed anatomical imagery of the jaws and teeth, as compared to what 2D panoramic X-ray can do - which is important in making diagnoses and deciding further treatment.'€

Widescreen: A panoramic dental X-ray.

It takes two to three months time for implants and dentures, which can last up to 15 years with regular maintenance and check-ups.

Artificial teeth are priced from Rp 1 million (US$80) to Rp 20 million.

The clinic also prioritizes hygiene, as each dental tool used is wrapped in sealed Wipak package.