A broken tooth can be a traumatic event for anyone. This can happen for various reasons; we may trip and fall, bumping our face, or be hit in the mouth by a foreign object. Sometimes we can chip our tooth just by eating. The fracture of a front tooth can be an especially stressful situation for all of us, as it directly impacts our appearance. Not to worry; dentists encounter and successfully fix broken front teeth on a regular basis. So, what should we do when we break a tooth or if your child has an accident and breaks a tooth?
If your front tooth is broken, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible. Keep the portion of the tooth that fractured moist, put it in a baggy and bring it with you to your dentist. If you can’t find the piece of the tooth that broke, don’t worry, your dentist can fix the broken tooth without it.
Let’s look at the various levels of a broken front tooth and the treatments that may be needed.
Tiny chip
With a slight chip, you may only feel a sharp edge on the tooth. If the chip is very small, the dentist may only need to reshape and smooth your tooth to remove any sharp edges. Reshaping can hide the fact that the tooth was ever fractured so that no one will ever know that the tooth chipped. These tiny chips can be painless, but they might have an underlying cause related to your oral health habits. The most common is grinding your teeth. Even if there is no pain, contact your dentist to get it checked out.
Small chip
A small chip is very noticeable when you smile, which can be embarrassing and stressful. The tooth may be sensitive, especially when a cold liquid comes in contact with the fracture. Your dentist will want to take an X-ray and then bond a tooth-colored filling to replace the fractured portion. If the fracture is too large for a filling, your dentist may recommend a crown for the tooth. Most dentists will avoid placing a crown on a tooth in a child or teenager and wait until the tooth has fully matured in the mouth (usually around 18-20 years old depending on the person).
Large chip (into nerve)
With a large chip, the nerve of the tooth can become exposed, which can be very painful. It’s more critical that you see your dentist as soon as possible in this situation to avoid an infection. The dentist may recommend a root canal followed up by a crown. Depending on the patient’s age, your dentist may wish to delay the root canal until the root of the tooth is fully formed. Of course, situations like a broken tooth always seem to happen on a weekend, so if you can’t get to the dentist right away, you can usually purchase orthodontic wax at your local pharmacy and cover the tooth until you can get in.
The important thing to remember is that your Delta Dental dentist has dealt with this situation before. Don’t wait for a chip to fix itself and get in before more issues start.
This information in this post is for general educational purposes only and does not warrant or represent any information as related to health as specifically appropriate for you. It is not intended to be medical advice or replace the relationship that you have with your health care providers. You should always seek medical advice on any diagnosis or treatment from a qualified health care provider. The information is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied.
