Pain could be short and sharp, like a “zing” when biting on a certain spot.
A cracked tooth will zing with pain because the nerve is being triggered as the crack is activated. Teeth do not repair themselves very effectively, and once a crack starts, it usually gets worse. The aim of treatment is to remove the cracked portion of the tooth, and cover over the gap. Cracks can be unpredictable. The sooner the diagnosis is made, the simpler the treatment can be. If a tooth is cracked beyond requiring a simple filling, a crown may be advised. A crown will embrace the tooth to help support the fracture.
If the pain is quite intense, the crack may have propagated to the pulp causing pulpitis. Pulpitis can recover if attended too quickly enough, or it can end up as a traumatised nerve that does not recover. If the tooth sensitivity has become tooth pain, then see below.