If only a small piece of your tooth broke off, your dental professional might be able to protect the remainder of the tooth with a crown or filling. If the fracture is severe, endodontic surgery may be required to remove the fractured portion to protect the pulp and the tooth.
If a molar is only half-broken, it can usually be fixed in one of two ways. If the break is relatively minor and the edges are still intact, your dentist may be able to bond the broken pieces back together. If the damage is more severe, they may need to use a dental crown or filling material to cover the break.
If possible, keep the broken portion of the tooth in case the dentist can bond it back into place. Bite down on a piece of clean gauze to stop any bleeding. Manage pain with over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Eat only soft foods and avoid excessively hot or cold food and drinks.
If only a small piece of your tooth broke off, your dental professional might be able to protect the remainder of the tooth with a crown or filling. If the fracture is severe, endodontic surgery may be required to remove the fractured portion to protect the pulp and the tooth.
The biggest factor a dentist looks at when deciding if a tooth can be saved is how much “good” tooth structure there is left. If the tooth is broken at the gumline and has a big cavity that goes down to the bone then there is little hope that the tooth can be saved.
Not all broken teeth need extraction; sometimes patients just need a chipped tooth repaired with a simple dental bonding. However, if the tooth broke at the gum line or cracked, it will likely need extracted.
Dentists are usually able to repair a chipped or cracked tooth using treatments such as bonding or by placing a crown, but a more severely damaged tooth may need to be removed to avoid causing further problems.
If your tooth is damaged, but enough of the tooth structure is healthy, your dentist can save your tooth. It will need treatment, but since your natural teeth are sturdier than options like a bridge or dentures, most dentists will opt to save your tooth over extracting it where possible.
As you can see, dental crowns are highly versatile in terms of how much tooth is needed for their placement. They can be placed when as much as ¾ of the natural tooth has been damaged or decayed, and can also be placed when the tooth is lacking both external and internal support.
Root Canals Aren't Possible with Severe Infection
If the procedure isn't done promptly, however, the infection can spread. If the deepest layers of the pulp become infected, it may be too late to save the tooth.
Sometimes, though, a tooth's damage isn't severe enough to require a complete dental crown. It may also be too much for tooth bonding to fix. In such cases, your dentist may recommend a partial crown, also known as an inlay or onlay, depending on its exact design.
Bonding a tooth might cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000, and the total cost might depend on how much work needs to be done on a tooth. A filling might cost anywhere from $90 to $500. A dental veneer might set you back $500 to $1,500.
Repairing your broken tooth may take weeks or months depending on your treatment. Your dentist will give you a better idea of how long your specific repair might take. For instance: Crowns: Your dentist can sometimes fit a crown in a day, but it often takes multiple appointments.
Severe Tooth Infection Is Irreversible
We cannot save a tooth because this type of infection is different. The tissue in your tooth (dental pulp) is infected and inflamed. Antibiotics cannot adequately reach the tissue and clear the problem. The tissue will not heal.
Damaged roots or loss of bone around the tooth are among the most common situations where a tooth can't be saved and needs to be extracted. If that's the case, we will strongly recommend removing the tooth.
After an exam and x-rays, a dentist may determine that it is impossible to save a tooth for these reasons: Not enough healthy tooth structure – If most of the tooth is damaged or decayed and building it up for a crown will not work, a dentist may recommend removing it.
SMALL CORNER OF THE TOOTH IS CHIPPED
If the break is too big or your bite is unfavourable, this may not last long term. A filling will cost somewhere around $200 and this treatment assumes the tooth has no decay and has not had any other problems due to the trauma.
Dental bonding is typically the least expensive, quickest, and easiest way to repair a chipped tooth, with veneers being next. Crowns are used for more extensively chipped or broken teeth when the entire top needs to be replaced. Dental implants are required when the entire tooth needs to be replaced.
Patients who have a severely broken tooth are advised to see a dentist within a day of the injury occurring. If that is not possible, the patient should use dental cement to cover up the broken tooth while waiting for an appointment.
It is preferable to preserve your teeth rather than remove them. This is because natural teeth function better than artificial ones. Additionally, removing your teeth leads to other problems like bone deterioration. Teeth crowns are better than extractions because they preserve the root of the teeth.
In most cases at least one-quarter of tooth structure is needed in order to place a dental crown. If less than this amount is present, there are still several options available. These options include using composite resin, placing a post-and-core foundation, or using a dental implant to replace the tooth.
As such, if you need to restore your tooth quickly, then a dental crown is a good option, provided you have enough tooth structure and the root is intact. But if your tooth is too badly damaged, a dental implant is the best option.
Root canal therapy is recommended when teeth can be saved with treatment, while an extraction is performed when the tooth's structure is too damaged, or a crack goes beneath the gum's surface, not leaving enough structure for stability or use after the repair.