What To Do With A Chipped or Broken Tooth
Having a visibly chipped or broken tooth can ruin your smile and be embarrassing. There are multiple causes of chipped or broken tooth. Cavities, biting on hard things such as ice cubes or hard candies, trauma to the face or mouth, poor oral care leading to thinning tooth enamel, and teeth grinding can all yield chipped or broken tooth.
It’s important to let your dentist know as soon as you chip or break your tooth. If not taken care of appropriately, your tooth can become further damaged or infected and you may end up losing your tooth. Before you are able to see your dentist you can consider some self-care options. If you experience pain, you can take over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or apply an ice pack to help relieve the pain and reduce inflammation. You can also rinse your mouth with salt water to help with the pain and remove bacteria from the area. You can also wrap a piece of wax paraffin or surgarless chewing gum to keep the sharp or jagged edges from cutting the inside of your cheeks or your tongue.
When you see your dentist for your chipped or broken tooth, the type of treatment your dentist will recommend will be dependent on the severity of the chipped or broken tooth. A very badly damaged tooth will require more extensive procedures, while a small chip will require minimal manipulations.
Small To Moderate Chips
Most of the time, small to moderate chips is not a dental emergency, unless it is accompanied with intense pain. For very small or tiny chips on edges of teeth may be remedied by simple polishing with dental instruments to remove the rough edges. Small to moderate chips are often be repaired with dental bonding. However, overtime the bonding material can chip or become stained and will need to be replaced. Porcelain veneers can be an option, and are a more permanent solution and alternative to dental bonding.
Large Chips
If a large part of a tooth is chipped off, the piece of tooth should be saved. Most of the times, your dentist will be able to reattach it with dental bonding. If the roots are not affected, the tooth can be restored with a full crown. In cases where the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues in the pulp region of the tooth is disturbed, a root canal and a dental crown is usually required for this type of injury and will need prompt attention.
Broken Tooth
A broken tooth with sharp pain and bleeding is a serious condition and requires attention as soon as possible. The broken part of the tooth must be saved and taken to the dentist’s office immediately. If the tooth breaks above the gum line, a root canal and dental bonding or crown procedure can be used to restore the tooth. If the tooth is broken below the gum line, a tooth extraction may be required.
Don’t let a chipped or broken tooth ruin your smile. Reach out to California Dental Group immediately by calling (800) 407-0161 to see how we can help you.
