Chipped Or Broken Tooth Treatment

One of the most frustrating things that can happen while you are eating is to hear that telltale “crack” when you bit into something hard that you didn’t expect. As a result, you might feel around with your tongue and find out that yes, you have damaged a tooth. Now what can you do about it?

Fillings

If you have only chipped off a small amount of your enamel, the dentist might be able to make do with a filling. Your Richmond dentist can then replace the missing tooth with a composite, or tooth-coloured filling. This is really only for the smallest chips, however.

Crowns

More often than not, if you have had a major tooth break, you will need a crown. This is because often, breaks run further down the tooth to the point that a filling is not going to be enough to fully repair your teeth. A crown is a piece of metal or porcelain that is glued over the top of the broken tooth. The dentist will first remove the cracked and broken pieces, and then prepare the tooth to receive a crown.

Root Canals

Just as we said above, a break often goes further down the tooth and you are likely to need a crown. But if the break goes too far down and puts the root of the tooth at risk, the nerve might be compromised. In some cases, it might not be noticeable that the nerve has been affected right away and you might need a root canal later on. When a break goes into the nerve, you will experience an intense amount of pain that can only be alleviated through a root canal. A root canal will remove the nerve within the tooth, removing the source of the pain. The tooth will also need a crown to ensure stability.

Extraction

Unfortunately, in some cases, the break might go too far down the root of the tooth and render the tooth unsalvageable. In this case, the tooth might need to be extracted, especially if a root canal is not an option. This is the last thing that you would want to do and should only come into play when all other options have been exhausted. If you do need to have your tooth extracted, you should then consider having a dental implant to keep that area of your mouth health and in regular working order.

When a chip or break happens, you will be inclined to feel the area with your tongue. Despite what it might seem like, your tongue will not be a good indicator of the type of repair treatment that you will need. Only your dentist can take a look and provide you with the appropriate treatment plan to repair your tooth. Never put off going to the dentist if you feel you might have broken it as the tooth cannot self-repair and you might wind up in more dental trouble.

The first thing to do is, as always; give your dentist a call.