Chipping a tooth can be an unforeseen inconvenience for anyone. Whether you've taken a knock playing your favourite sport or bitten down on hard candy, even the healthiest teeth can get chipped. Unfortunately, accidents happen, but thankfully, you don't have to live with them. There are a number of dental treatments that can solve your chipped or broken tooth. Whether you have minor chips or a large, severe chip, these methods can restore the appearance of your tooth and make it as if it never chipped in the first place.
Today, we'll cover some proven dental methods for fixing chipped teeth and how you can start the process of sorting out your chipped or broken tooth.
What is a chipped tooth? A chipped tooth is when a portion of your tooth enamel, the hard outer layer of your tooth, breaks off from coming in contact with a hard object. This leaves a visible gap where the tooth chip is and a jagged edge. Now, small chips might not be too serious; in fact, you might not even notice them. Large chips, on the other hand, can expose the underlying dentin and may need to be treated sooner.
Some of the most common causes of chipped teeth are injuries, biting too hard on foods or objects, or using your teeth to open packages. If you play high-impact sports or are involved in an accident, a strong knock to the jaw and impact on the teeth could cause them to chip in that area, forcing the enamel to break off. The same applies to heating hard foods like candy or apples. If your teeth are already weakened, biting down on these foods could cause them to chip. Even biting your nails could chip your teeth. For those of you who grind your teeth at night, grinding can put immense strain on your teeth, causing them to crack and chip over time.
When you have a broken or chipped tooth, the first thing you should do is rinse your mouth under warm water to clean the area properly. You may also want to try a cold compress if there is any swelling from an impact. Suppose you can, try to find the piece of the chipped tooth and wrap it in a gauze so you can take it to the dentist with you. Remember that this mainly applies to severe chips, not necessarily a slightly chipped tooth. If the chip is a bad one, we recommend making an appointment with a dentist's office as soon as possible.
This would depend on how bad the chip is. For severe chips, you may experience pain, sensitivity around the area, infection, or the sharp edges of your tooth at the chip could irritate your tongue. If the dentin is exposed, bacteria and harmful germs could get under and cause havoc. Ideally, if your tooth is chipped badly, you should aim to get it sorted soon.
What happens if you've chipped your tooth but can't get to a dentist immediately? These situations happen, which is understandable. While you're in limbo waiting to book a dentist appointment, you'll need to try to manage the pain if there is any. Take standard over-the-counter pain meds and try to protect the damaged tooth from getting further damage. In most cases, if you chip your tooth you would be able to manage it until your appointment.
When you get to see a dentist, they can use a variety of methods to fix your chipped tooth. One of the most common methods is bonding or veneers. Usually, they will recommend the best approach and provide you with the following options:
For a chipped tooth, dental bonding is one of the best treatments you can go for due to its minimally invasive nature and essentially being an in-and-out trip to the dentist. This approach uses a bonding material to replace the missing piece of your tooth with a substance that looks and feels authentic. This bonding material, a dental-grade resin, is often used to fix a variety of dental issues, like tooth decay, cracked teeth, or discolouration.
It's also extremely durable and strong, so after the procedure, once it's set, you can continue life as if your tooth didn't chip. You can eat and drink similar foods and enjoy yourself. For the bonding procedure, the dentist would roughen up the surface of your tooth enamel a bit to ensure a good hold with the resin. Then, after applying the conditioning liquid, they will apply the resin and mould it perfectly to the shape of your tooth.
Learn more about dental bonding treatment options at our Melbourne clinic.
In more severe cases, dentists might suggest having a veneer done instead of bonding. Veneers are small porcelain covers, which can also be made from composite resin material, whichever you prefer, that are bonded to the front and back of your chipped tooth, hiding the chip and reshaping the tooth to its natural form. To install veneers, dentists need to file down a small layer of tooth enamel to provide a course surface for the adhesive to stick the veneer to your tooth successfully. Once it's on, it could last for over 20 years, making veneers a great long-term solution if you prefer. That said, they are expensive and permanent, so if you don't like them, they aren't coming off.
Learn more about veneer treatment options at our Melbourne clinic.
Root canals don't have a good reputation with many people. Unfortunately, when a chipped tooth is left without treatment, it could eventually turn into a cracked tooth. When this happens, the damage might extend all the way down to the roots of the teeth, resulting in root canal therapy being needed to fix it. When a root canal is done, the whole tooth is removed, including the root, to prevent the pain from continuing. Following the root canal, a crown is usually offered to fill the hole and replace it with a fully functioning tooth.
Root canals are extremely painful and also irreversible, so when dentists recommend it as an option, know that they don't do so lightly. Usually, a dentist wouldn't recommend a root canal for a chipped tooth unless the symptoms warrant it.
Learn more about root canal therapy options at our Melbourne clinic.
If you have a small chip, then a dental filling may also be a treatment that you want to explore. Dental fillings involve using materials like resin, glass, metal, or plastic to fill the small missing part of your tooth so that it's function and looks natural again. Depending on the material used for the filling, this method would generally be better if one of your back teeth were damaged.
Learn more about dental filling treatment options at our Melbourne clinic.
Crowns are very similar to veneers in that they fit over a tooth and are glued to it. However, crowns can only be used for one tooth at a time. They're essentially caps that fit over the chipped tooth, hiding the damage and covering any jagged edges. The way crowns are installed is also very similar to how dentists install veneers. A layer of enamel is filed off the tooth, providing the adhesive a coarse surface to bind to. In some cases, the tooth might be filed down into a certain shape to reduce sharp edges and optimise how well the cap can fit onto it.
Crowns last around 15 years, so they're also a long-term solution. One drawback of crowns is that they can sometimes cover an exposed nerve, which means that it would be in your best interest to avoid extremely hot or cold temperatures, which may cause pain and discomfort in the tooth. They are also a pricier option.
Learn more about dental crown treatment options at our Melbourne clinic.
Following the same reasoning for a root canal, if you've left a chipped tooth for too long and it's turned into a crack that travels down past the gum line, your dentist might suggest getting dental implants put in. This would require them to completely remove the tooth and root, replacing the root with a titanium screw and the tooth with a porcelain or composite resin tooth that attaches to the screw. The process itself is invasive, requiring surgery. Once the screw is in and bonded with your jawbone, you'll receive your new teeth. This process could take anywhere from four to nine months.
Implants are permanent, so they wouldn't need replacing unless you manage to break them; however, like your other teeth, your implant can discolour. Thankfully, it can be replaced.
Learn more about dental implant treatment options at our Melbourne clinic.
As you can see, leaving a cracked tooth untreated could lead to it getting worse and eventually requiring a more serious treatment to sort it out. With that in mind, if you have a chipped tooth, don't wait for it to get worse; get treatment sooner rather than later. If you're unsure of what treatment you may need, learn more about how to fix chipped teeth at our Melbourne CBD clinic today!
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