Think Fast! What to Do If You Chip Your Tooth

If you have a chipped tooth, you should visit the dentist as soon as possible. If you delay the dental visit, your broken tooth may become easily infected by bacteria, and you may lose your tooth in the long run.

Repairing a Chipped Tooth at Home

There are some things which you can do to ease the pain of a chipped tooth before you visit the dentist.

You can take painkillers such as Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen.

1. You can also use salted water to rinse your mouth. Moreover, you can place some ice cubes on your cheeks to reduce the swelling effect of the chipped tooth.
2. If your broken tooth has a sharp or jagged edge, you must cover it with wax paraffin or sugar-free chewing gum to protect your cheeks and tongue. Furthermore, if you want to eat with a chipped tooth; you must choose softer foods, and you should also not bite down on the broken tooth.

How Your Dentist Will Fix Your Broken Tooth

Your dentist will look at the degree of damage of your broken tooth before he or she thinks of the possible ways to fix it. If it is only a small part of the enamel which is broken, they can fix it immediately.

On the other hand, if a significant fraction of your tooth is broken; your dentist may fix it with costlier procedures which may require you to make repeated visits for check-ups. Here are three things which the dentist may do to fix your chipped tooth;

1. Bonding or Filling

If you have chipped a small part of your tooth’s enamel, they will fill it with composite resin. Your dentist will not use any numbing chemical to fill your chipped tooth.

During bonding, they will first apply a special gel to your broken tooth. Then, he or she will coat it with an adhesive before now filling it with resin that matches with the appearance of your tooth. Later, your dentist will pass the filled tooth through ultraviolet light to harden it.

2. Dental Veneers

Your dentist may fix your broken tooth by applying dental veneers to it. Dental veneers are usually made in the laboratory with resin and porcelain. After your dentist has applied veneers to your chipped tooth, he or she will harden it using special cement.

3. Crown or Dental Cap

If you have chipped a significant part of your tooth, your dentist will fix it with a dental cap or crown. The primary purpose of the crown is to protect your tooth and improve its aesthetic appearance.

If you have damaged your tooth to the extent that the pulp is exposed, you may have a pulp infection. For you to be cured of this infection, your dentist will have to remove some parts of the damaged pulp using root canal therapy before capping it.

Bottomline

Chipping your tooth is never fun and should be treated immediately. Your dentist can quickly fix your chipped tooth unless its pulp is also damaged. Hopefully, you would ever chip your tooth, but if you do, the above tips should help!

George Anderson is a freelance writer, blogger, and entrepreneur. I love reading, outdoor activities, traveling and staying current with new trends