See your dentist right away if you suspect a broken tooth. Treatments can save your tooth, restore your appearance, and prevent further dental problems. Chipped tooth If you don’t have any pain and the chip is small, decide for yourself whether, when and how the tooth should be repaired. Depending on the size of the chip, it can be smoothed or cosmetically corrected.
Other options include veneers, crowns, and fillings. Ask your dentist to explain these options. If a filling tooth or an artificial tooth has broken off, it should be replaced. If the entire tip of the tooth has broken off but the root is still intact, the dentist or an endodontist (a dentist who specializes in root canals) can perform root canal therapy and insert a pin or post into the canal and then build a sufficient structure on which a crown can be attached.
To prepare your tooth, your dentist removes approximately 0.3 to 1.2 millimeters of enamel from its surface. They then take an impression of the tooth, choose a color that matches your teeth, and send the impression to a dental laboratory to make the crown. Permanently lost teeth, regardless of whether they were removed by a dentist or were accidentally knocked out, should be replaced. During the first visit, your dentist may take X-rays to check the tooth roots and surrounding bone.
After the bonding material has been shaped to look like a natural tooth, the dentist hardens the material with ultraviolet light. Gently bite the tooth to keep it in place and be careful not to apply too much pressure as it can hurt. Treatment costs for dental injuries vary depending on the type and extent of the dental trauma, the type, duration and complexity of the treatment, the dentists required, and insurance coverage. Place a lost tooth back in the tooth socket. If your tooth is knocked out, you need a way to safely transport it to your dental office.
Dentists sometimes wait to see if the dental nerve dies. In this case, a temporary crown can be placed over the chipped tooth. During a tooth extraction, your dentist removes any parts of your tooth that are still below your gum line. A dental veneer is a thin shell of tooth-colored porcelain or resin composite material that covers the entire front of the tooth (similar to how an artificial nail covers a fingernail) and has a thicker section to replace the broken part of the tooth. Breaking a tooth is traumatic, but quick action and a visit to the dentist will repair cosmetic damage and help prevent long-term problems.
Whatever the cause, a visit to the dentist is required either immediately or as soon as possible, depending on how badly the tooth is broken. If you lose a larger portion of the tooth but the pulp is not irrevocably damaged, your dentist can restore the tooth and protect it with a porcelain veneer or crown (“cap”). To install a crown, your dentist will first shave off some enamel from your tooth to make room for the crown in your mouth.
