What To Do If You Chip A Tooth And You’re Based In Burton?

Even a small amount of damage to a tooth should be investigated by your local dentist.

A common problem that some of our patients may have experienced is the chipping of a tooth. This can happen for a number of reasons. Perhaps a tooth is already compromised making it weaker, or perhaps we bite into something we expect to be soft but find that it meets something hard instead. For example, in muesli, a tiny piece of stone can find its way into the mixture from the grinding process. When this, or something similar, happens, a small piece may break off the tooth, often at the edges on top.

As we run our tongue along the chip, we might find that it is a very small breakage. Especially if we are a little anxious about visiting the dentist, it might be tempting to leave it as it is. There are a number of good reasons why you should not do this though and we will look at those now.

Cosmetic

Not the most serious issue that can happen if you chip a tooth but even a small chip can be noticeable to those around you. Even if it doesn’t cause other issues, it is advisable to have the tooth restored, perhaps using cosmetic bonding to restore the shape of the tooth. The dentists at SG Dental and Implant Centre will be able to advise the most appropriate solution for you.

Cuts and grazes

One of the first side effects of a chipped tooth that you might notice is that the often sharp edges it leaves causes scratches, and even possibly cuts, to the soft tissues of the oral cavity. The tongue, lips and cheeks can soon feel sore after a while and, in some cases, could even become infected. You should always have even small chips checked by us of course, but even if you are not too bothered about the appearance of the tooth, restoring it to a regular shape will help you avoid these painful cuts and scratches.

Weakened tooth

So far, we have looked at largely ‘cosmetic factors’ with the presumption that the physical damage is not too serious. This is something that you shouldn’t diagnose yourself though. There can be a fine line between a chip that has caused superficial damage only and one that has started to weaken the tooth. If a tooth like this is left, it is likely that further damage will occur later due to the tooth’s weakened structure. This is a key reason why you should have this looked at by one of our Burton dentists. While it may still be possible to restore the tooth using bonding, other options such as a filling, veneer or a crown might be more effective.

Sensitivity

If you chip a tooth and notice an increase in sensitivity, that should act as a warning sign that all is not well. If you experience this it is because the inner part of the tooth has been exposed and allows the sensation of hot and cold to meet the nerves more easily, making things uncomfortable or even painful. As we shall see in a moment, the sensitivity, uncomfortable though it might be, could be the least of your problems if the problem is not treated.

Decay

If, as the above suggests, the enamel has been damaged to the degree that the dentin layer beneath is exposed, even in a very small area, this allows a route for bacteria to enter into the tooth. This bacteria then feeds on the sugars in the food that we eat, creating acids that start to cause the tooth to decay. This may not be noticeable at first but often becomes noticeable in the form of a toothache. During the process, further damage is likely to have been caused and a tooth damaged in this way will probably require a filling or a crown to restore the tooth. As always, prompt examinations will keep any treatment intervention to the minimum possible.

Root canal infection

If you have a chip that has exposed the dentin, decay is not the only risk. Eventually, bacteria can find its way into the root canals of a tooth and can lead to infection. This can be very painful indeed and when this happens, there are only two options available. An extraction could be carried out, but, in most cases, a better solution will be to perform a root canal procedure. This removes the infected pulp material which includes the nerves, and fills the tooth with a special filling material known as gutta percha. This is a highly effective way of restoring a tooth that has become infected in this way.

As you can see from the above, even a small amount of damage could potentially cause a lot of problems if you don’t have it examined as soon as possible after it happens. What might seem minor to you, could offer a ‘way in’ for other problems to occur so make sure to contact us for an appointment straight away. You can contact SG Dental and Implant Centre by calling our Burton clinic on 01283 845345.