Chipping a tooth tends to happen suddenly, and often at quite random moments. You can be happily eating something one minute and suddenly find that a piece of tooth has broken away. Even if it doesn\u2019t hurt, you can feel the difference with your tongue and, if it is a front tooth, you will see it every time you look in the mirror. A cracked tooth can be rather different of course. Sometimes there is obvious pain, particularly when biting into food. In other cases there may be little to tell you that anything is wrong and you may not notice a fine crack for some time. Cracks vary considerably in size and position which means that there is no single treatment that suits every damaged tooth.<\/p>\n
The good news is that there are a number of options for repairing and protecting teeth that have been chipped or cracked at the SG Dental and Implant Centre here in Burton.<\/p>\n
Where only a small amount of tooth has broken away, composite bonding may be the most straightforward option to choose. This uses a tooth-coloured material which is applied to the damaged part of the tooth and is then shaped to restore its appearance. With a front tooth, for example, it can often be made to blend in with the natural tooth so that the once visible chip is no longer obvious. One of the beneficial things about bonding is that it can usually be carried out without removing much, if any, healthy tooth structure. It is therefore often a sensible and non-invasive option for a relatively minor chip.<\/p>\n
There can be limitations though. A large repair on a tooth which takes a lot of biting pressure may not be the best use of bonding, and your dentist will take this into account when deciding what treatment would be most appropriate.<\/p>\n
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A chipped front tooth is not always simply a case of putting the missing corner back. If the tooth is also worn, discoloured or is an unusual shape, fitting a porcelain veneer may be worth considering.\u00a0A veneer covers the front of the tooth and can alter its shape and colour as well as hiding any visible damage. This can be especially useful when there is more than one cosmetic issue that a patient wishes to address. Veneers may not be suitable for every tooth, and they are not necessarily the first choice for a small chip. The condition of the tooth and the amount of healthy structure remaining will need to be considered as well.<\/p>\n
Whereas a chip involves a piece of the tooth breaking away, a crack may run through the tooth without anything actually breaking off. You might notice pain when you bite down, or perhaps a sharp twinge. Cold or hot drinks can sometimes cause a reaction too. There are also cracked teeth which cause surprisingly few symptoms. This is one reason why it is not a good idea to ignore a tooth which you suspect has cracked simply because it doesn\u2019t hurt very much. Our Burton dentists<\/a> will need to examine the tooth carefully and work out how extensive the damage is before deciding what to do next.<\/p>\n If a tooth has lost quite a lot of its structure, a crown may be the most appropriate way of restoring it. Rather than simply filling the broken area, a crown fits over the remaining tooth and helps protect it from the forces involved in biting and chewing. This can be particularly useful when a tooth has a large filling already or has become weakened through decay or wear. A crown can also restore the appearance of the tooth, but its main job is not purely cosmetic. In many cases, protecting what is left of the natural tooth is the more important consideration.<\/p>\n A crack which reaches the inside of a tooth can cause problems with the pulp, where the nerves and blood vessels are found. You may notice increasing sensitivity, pain which lingers after eating or drinking something hot or cold, or a toothache which seems to have appeared for no obvious reason. If the pulp in the root canals has become inflamed or infected, root canal treatment may be needed. This removes the damaged tissue from inside the tooth and allows the tooth to be cleaned, filled and sealed. It can then be completed, often with a crown, if a substantial amount of tooth has been lost.<\/p>\n There may be\u00a0 occasions when a crack extends too far into the tooth or below the gum, making it impossible to restore successfully. In these cases, extracting the tooth may be the only sensible option. That does not necessarily mean you have to live with a gap. There are several ways of replacing a missing tooth, including bridges, dentures and dental implants, depending on your circumstances. This is another reason why it is worth having a cracked tooth looked at fairly promptly. Sometimes there is a better chance of saving a tooth when treatment is carried out before the damage progresses.<\/p>\nCrowns for weakened teeth<\/h3>\n
Nerves<\/h3>\n
Extractions<\/h3>\n
Dealing with a cracked or chipped tooth<\/h3>\n