What Causes Chipped Teeth And How To Treat It

How To Treat Chipped Teeth

Chipped, broken, or cracked teeth are usually accompanied with a painful sensation. Many people don’t realize how easy it is to have a chipped tooth.

This is probably because the enamel that protects the teeth is the hardest and most mineralized tissue in the body. Nevertheless, it has its limits and can break or chip.

There are a number of factors that can cause teeth to chip or break. For example, falling, decay, getting punched right in the mouth can cause your enamel to crack or break.

Once this happens, it is important to see the dentist and have your teeth fixed.

What To Do After Breaking A Tooth

If you break or chip a tooth, you should rinse your mouth with warm water right away to clean it. If the break has caused a sharp or jagged edge, cover it with sugarless chewing gum to prevent it from causing any further injuries to your mouth. You should try as much as you can to avoid food, and when you must eat, eat soft foods and avoid biting down on the chipped tooth.

It is important that you get treated quickly. Leaving a broken tooth exposed can cause further damage.

Treatment solutions for Chipped Teeth

Treatments are recommended depending on how severely the tooth has been damaged. More severe accidents may require surgical procedures. Here are some ways we treat broken or chipped teeth at our Westside Dental clinic.

Dental Filling or Bonding

If you have chipped off just a small portion of the tooth enamel, a filling is recommended by most dentists because it’s simple and cheap. If the damage is on the front tooth or is visible when you smile, we recommend a process called bonding.

Bonding is a simple repair process that doesn’t require tooth numbing. To bond a tooth, the dentist etches the surface of the tooth with a liquid or gel to roughen the surface and make the bonding material stick to it. The dentist then applies an adhesive material to the tooth then a tooth-colored resin. The bonding material is then shaped to look like a natural tooth, and ultraviolet light is used to harden the material.

Dental Cap or Crown

When a large portion of the tooth is chipped or has suffered extensive damage or decay, the dentist will grind down the damaged part and a portion of the remaining tooth. They will leave only a small portion of the part of the tooth that’s intact, which will then be covered with a crown (a tooth-shaped cap) to protect the tooth and help it look natural. Permanent crowns can also be made from metal porcelain fused to metal, ceramic, or resin.

Each of these materials has its own types of benefits. Metal crowns are the strongest, while porcelain and resin can be made to look like the original tooth.

If there is only a very small portion of the chipped tooth left, a root canal is often recommended. A root canal is a surgical process that places a pin or post in the canal of the tooth which contains a structure where a larger crown can be placed. Completing a root canal procedure usually takes more than one visit. During The first visit, your dentist will generally take X-rays to check the integrity of your dental roots and surrounding bones. If no further problems are discovered, your dentist numbs the tooth and surrounding gum and has the damaged area prepared to make room for the crown.

Dental Veneers

If it is a front tooth that’s broken or chipped, dental veneers can be used to restore your smile. A dental veneer is a thin shell tooth-colored in porcelain or resin composite that covers the entire front of the smile. For this procedure, the dentist will remove a small amount of your enamel which will be covered by the veneers, adding that layer of protection back on. Next, a mold of your mouth will be made to custom fit the veneers to your mouth. When placing the veneer, your dentist will first scratch the surface of the front teeth with a liquid for the veneers to bind to. A special cement is then applied to the veneer, which is then placed on the prepared tooth. 

When you have a chipped or broken tooth, call your dentist immediately to determine which treatment is best for you.  At Westside Dental Group in Winnipeg, we believe that choosing the right dental treatment for your teeth is an important decision.