Chipped a Tooth? Don’t Worry – Here’s What to Do

A chip in a tooth can be anything from a tiny flake off of the enamel to a full-blown break reaching the gums. Sometimes, a chipped tooth is little more than a bother after the pain from the initial trauma subsides. In other cases, the damage can cause a massive toothache, leave the tooth prone to breakage, and expose the root and nerve to possible infection.

Even if a chipped tooth seems barely noticeable, you should still have your Cincinnati family dentist repair it. What looks like a tiny break in your filling can compromise the health of the entire tooth.

Methods of Repairing a Chipped Tooth or Cracked Filling

Your dentist will determine the most appropriate treatment for your chipped tooth based on the severity and type of damage. If most of your tooth has broken off or the damage or decay is too significant, you’ll probably need a tooth extraction and a dental implant to replace the tooth. A tooth with extensive injury or damage below the gum line likely needs removal and replacement to protect the rest of the teeth, gums, and jaw from further damage and infection.

When just a tiny piece of the tooth breaks off, a qualified emergency dentist in your area can usually repair the tooth in one visit. The dentist will examine the tooth to ensure the defect is not more extensive than a chip. The best way to fix a below-the-gum chip is dental bonding, as opposed to more severe chips, which require tooth extraction and an implant.

Fillings for Chipped Teeth Not Visible

The most common repair for a chipped or cracked tooth is a filling, especially if you can’t see the tooth when you smile. This restorative treatment involves removing the damage or decay and reshaping or protecting the tooth with a metal, porcelain, or resin-based filling. If the chip is more than minor, your dentist might cap the filled tooth with a crown instead.

Dental Bonding for Visibly Chipped Teeth

If the tooth damage is noticeable when you smile, a dentist will probably recommend dental bonding, which doesn’t require numbing. This process uses a tooth-colored composite resin the dentist sculpts to match the tooth’s original shape. The sculpting happens after etching the tooth’s surface to enhance adhesion. The dentist then cures the bonding with UV light.

The bonding process restores the tooth to its original appearance and function. That’s why it’s such a popular procedure for fixing damaged front teeth.

Dental bonding has a few drawbacks. For one thing, the color of the bonded part won’t change with your natural teeth. If you get teeth brightening from your local dentist, your whitened teeth won’t match your bonding.

Another issue with bonding is that the resin material isn’t as strong as your real teeth, meaning you’ll have to redo the bonding every 5-10 years. Also, the bonding won’t protect you from future damage due to biting down hard, grinding, or eating sticky foods.

Repairing Chipped Teeth with Extensive Decay

When a large piece of the tooth breaks off or has a lot of decay, you’ll need a different kind of restoration. Your dentist may need to place a tooth-shaped cap or crown to protect what’s left, which requires grinding part of the tooth away. Your dentist will determine the best way to repair the chipped tooth after removing the decay.

Using Veneers for Chipped Tooth Repair

When it comes to tooth restoration, dental bonding isn’t quite as good at mimicking the look and feel of a real tooth as porcelain veneers. A veneer from your nearby family dental provider can restore a tooth’s physical appearance. A dental veneer is a thin layer of tooth-colored porcelain material that covers the entire front of the tooth. It’s designed to match the surrounding teeth perfectly.

A composite veneer involves a process similar to dental bonding but is typically more extensive. With composite tooth veneers, dental bonding completely covers the cracked, broken, or discolored teeth. Like dental bonding to repair a chipped tooth, composite tooth veneers only last 5-7 years, whereas porcelain veneers last 10-15 years if you take good care of them.

Fixing a Cracked or Broken Filling

A cracked or broken filling can expose the inner layers of your tooth to bacteria in your mouth. This exposure can lead to infection, abscesses, and further damage, so getting immediate chipped tooth repair is crucial for your health.

Fillings can crack, break, or become loose over time or because a tooth is severely impacted. Even fillings with small cracks can leave the damaged tooth susceptible to further decay. Also, the roots and nerves of the tooth get exposed to bacteria and debris from your mouth. Even if you feel no pain from a cracked or broken filling, it needs fixing as soon as possible.

Bonding is as adequate as traditional fillings at sealing the tooth to protect it from further decay. An advantage of bonding is that it can match the surrounding tooth in color and appearance. If you have a silver filling that’s cracked or broken, consider replacing it with bonding. Remember that a broken filling is just as much an emergency as a chipped tooth. Both need repair immediately to prevent the exposed part of the tooth from further damage.

Cracked Tooth Syndrome: Repairing Microscopic Cracks in Teeth

Some people develop cracked tooth syndrome due to overbrushing or compressing their jaws too much. Both can cause micro-cracks in the teeth that you might not see, but the main symptom is toothache with no visible cause. Although these cracks are super-tiny, they can allow bacteria to enter the tooth and under the gums, posing the same health risks as a visibly chipped or broken tooth.

Your local family dentist can X-ray your teeth to identify a tiny crack. This injury can develop into a severely cracked or broken tooth if you ignore the toothache for too long. Cracked tooth syndrome often requires dental bonding or crowning to correct the issue and protect the tooth from further damage or decay.

Cracked Filling and Chipped Tooth Repair in Cincinnati

When you chip a tooth or break a filling, getting to the dentist as soon as possible is essential. Delaying treatment can result in additional dental problems down the road. If you have a chipped tooth, contact your hometown dental practitioners at Beckham Square Family Dental today. We serve patients and families in Sharonville, Blue Ash, Springdale, Evendale, and the surrounding areas. We’re experts at chipped tooth repair