It may take a day or even several days before you can manage to get an appointment, so in the meantime you should rinse your mouth, floss to get rid of any food particles that may aggravate the wound, and even use dental wax or temporary bonding material to keep the jagged edges of the wound from further irritating ...
Since mouthwash can cause the injury significant discomfort, use warm salt water to wash the affected tooth instead. You should also gather and rinse the broken pieces, then seal them in a clean container for transport. If the tooth's edge is jagged, try to protect it with dental paraffin wax or sugar-free gum.
If the tooth is just chipped, you should make an appointment to see a dentist to fill the tooth or smooth it down. This isn't an emergency and can wait until the dental surgery is open.
You can never predict when you'll get in an accident or hit something hard and crack a tooth. The most common question about chipped teeth is whether it is a dental emergency. Depending on the chip, you can leave it until the next day, but it may indeed count as a dental emergency and require immediate attention.
You may not feel any pain when you first damage a tooth but this should not stop you from booking a visit with your dentist immediately. If you delay or even skip that appointment, the broken or chipped tooth may end up infected, causing irreversible damage.
Once a tooth is damaged or decaying, it's only a matter of time before it dies. Depending on how heavy the damage, the tooth could die within a matter of days or even a couple of months.
Yes, you should visit your dentist to repair a chipped tooth as soon as possible. Though it might seem minor and painless, a chipped tooth is weaker and at a high risk of experiencing more chips or breaking. Too much structure loss may lead to the loss of a tooth.
The answer to that question is not always a clear-cut answer. It depends on the severity of the fracture. For instance, minor chips can wait for a regularly scheduled appointment. However, seek medical attention immediately if a major portion of the tooth is broken.
If the tooth has cracked below the surface of your gum line, then your dentist may not be able to fully repair or protect it.
The biggest risks of leaving a cracked tooth untreated are that severe pain and sensitivity can develop, gum swelling and tenderness can occur, and the likelihood of oral infection is much higher.
Besides plaque acids, teeth can also be worn down by other acids in your diet, such as fruit juices, carbonated drinks and wine. Teeth can also be exposed to damaging acids from medical conditions such as acid reflux, heartburn and morning sickness during pregnancy.
While the enamel on your teeth is relatively strong, teeth can chip for a multitude of reasons. The impact from falling, chewing a hard piece of candy, tooth decay, or even bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding) can cause a tooth to chip.
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.
If just a very small portion of your tooth has chipped, it will eventually smooth out due to your saliva. Over time the tooth will feel smooth on your tongue and you won't be able to notice the chip anymore.
Avoid eating hard and sticky items
The tooth may be sensitive or sore, which is completely normal. General dentists recommend avoiding eating hard or sticky items after the procedure to avoid any further discomfort. Foods such as candies, caramels, jerky, tough meats, or hard nuts may damage the newly filled tooth.
The dentist can smooth out the rough surface using a small sanding disc or a type of dental sandpaper. Polishing out the sharp edges might be all that is needed, especially if the chip is tiny or in a spot that's hard to see.
They may file the tooth and reshape it to match your other teeth. This sort of treatment is rather simple and does not typically require any sort of sedation or analgesic treatment since. If a chip is small, but the dentist can't file it back into shape, they may repair the chip with a bonding material.
A cracked tooth can get worse by getting more damaged or by becoming infected. Subsequently, it is important to take precautionary measures to protect the tooth and schedule a dental visit as soon as possible to get the restorative treatment that you need for your cracked tooth.
Dental bonding is a cost-effective and relatively simple procedure that can help improve your smile's appearance while protecting your teeth from further damage. Bonding typically ranges from $100 to $500 per tooth, depending on the number of teeth being bonded and the complexity of the work being done.
Do chipped teeth get worse? Yes, if a chipped tooth is left untreated, it is likely to get worse over time. At best, it will simply spoil your smile or cause pain and sensitivity; at worst, it could result in infection or even tooth loss.
Your teeth are exposed to acidic foods and drinks every day, and over time our enamel naturally breaks down as a result. Essentially, the older we get, the more likely we are to experience a chipped tooth because our enamel simply isn't as strong anymore.
If you chip or break part of your tooth, you mightn't feel any pain so it may be tempting to skip or delay a visit to the dentist. But doing so can lead to further damage to your tooth. The chip may allow bacteria to infect your tooth, causing irreversible damage.
A chipped tooth may have a jagged, sharp surface or edge. If you ignore it, that side of your chipped tooth might cut your tongue or cheeks, causing unnecessary and completely avoidable pain. Another common cause of a cracked or chipped tooth is cavities. Cavities weaken the teeth, compromising their strength.