Three Ways Your Dentist Can Treat A Chipped or Broken Tooth

1. September 4, 2017 Three Ways Your Dentist Can Treat A Chipped or Broken Tooth Although enamel is a pretty hard substance, the outer coating of your teeth can still become damaged. A chipped or broken tooth needs professional repair by a dentist, as cracked and fracturing tooth is the third leading cause of tooth loss in industrialized nations. The treatment your dentist suggest will depend on the extent of the damage. Page | 1

2. If a small piece of enamel has broken off the tooth, it just may mean that a filling is all that is needed for the repair. When the damage is more extensive or an infection has developed in the tooth, your dentist has several other ways to treat it. Bonding Restores the Original Appearance Of Your Tooth Dental bonding is the method used when your tooth is chipped. The dentist uses a resin material that is colored, shaped, and polished to look like the original tooth. Once the material is applied, an ultraviolet light is used to cure it. Bonding restores the original appearance of the tooth. It's a treatment often recommended when a front tooth is damaged. A Cracked Tooth May Require A Crown In the case of a cracked molar, a common repair option is getting a crown or cap. Your dentist fills the tooth and covers it for protection. This not only restores the appearance of the tooth but also allows you to eat normally. Sometimes a crown is recommended for a chipped tooth if decay is found. As long as there is no damage to the root of your tooth, a crown may be the best option. Either an all-porcelain or a metal crown fused with porcelain is the most natural looking. Porcelain is also a popular material for crowns because it looks a lot like your own natural teeth, so no one will notice that you have a full crown, except you. Root Canal Therapy Can Save Your Tooth Another restorative procedure your dentist can use to repair a damaged tooth is a root canal treatment. This may be the only option to save it if it is broken, and the inside of the tooth is exposed. The procedure is also used if the tooth is badly decayed or infected. When the center of the tooth is exposed, so are the nerves and blood vessels that keep the tooth alive. Root canal therapy removes the pulp, the soft area inside the canal of the tooth, and the nerves. Having this done does not affect the function of the tooth. If you are experiencing pain, a broken tooth may have pulp damage. Treatment should be started as soon as possible so that the tooth can be saved. Your dentist in Horseheads, NY may want to supplement the root canal with a crown placed over the damaged tooth. Page | 2

3. There are several ways a chipped or broken tooth can be repaired, and the treatment is based on the amount of damage that has occurred. The important thing is to make an appointment and have it looked at promptly so that any pain can be treated and your tooth can be restored to its original appearance. Sources: What Are the Treatment Options For a Chipped Tooth, dentalcarematters.com Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth, www.webmd.com The Epidemic of Cracked and Fracturing Teeth, dentistrytoday.com Page | 3