chipped tooth
Options For A Chipped Tooth

Options For A Chipped Tooth

A tooth is said to be chipped when a part of it fractures away. Having a chipped tooth is more or less one of the most embarrassing feelings anyone could have if the tooth is in the front of your mouth. Aside from the fact that it can prevent you from giving a radiant smile, it might make eating more difficult.

Causes of a chipped tooth

There are many ways you can chip a tooth, here are but a few:

1. Playing sport activities without using a mouthguard.

2. Chewing on hard food  like corn nuts, ice or rock candy.

3. Using your teeth to open bottles or other containers.

4. Sometimes piercings on the tongue or in your cheek can also chip your teeth.

5. Teething grinding while sleeping or when stressed.

6. Any type of physical fall or accident, from falling down to a car accident.

There is a need to seek medical attention when a this occurs. Delayed treatment or ignoring a chipped tooth could result in unfavorable conditions.

What happens if you ignore a chipped tooth?:

  • Accidental cutting of the tongue which could in turn cause unnecessary pain.
  • Your chipped tooth becomes extremely sensitive to a change in temperature, causing you unwarranted pain when you eat hot/cold foods.
  • You might cause a total breakage of the tooth as chipping exposes your tooth and makes it fragile.
  • You might create an avenue for infections.

Fixing a chipped tooth can be done in many different ways depending on your particular situation. Some of the options to choose from are;

  1. Dental filling or bonding: Is usually the easiest and most common way to hide a chipped tooth.
  2. Dental crown: this is used when the fragment of tooth chipped is on a molar. Dental crowns can be made from metal, ceramic or porcelain with metal crowns being the hardest.
  3. Veneers: they are the best option if there is a case of repeated broken bonding. Veneers are said to be durable as they can stay up to 2 decades.
  4. Dental implants: these are considered for usage when the chipped tooth has cracked through below the gum region.

So even if a chipped doesn’t bother you, we recommend seeing your dentist for an x-ray. You may not be able to see any fractures below the gum line that could eventually cause more issues down the line. And by all means if you chipped a tooth and it is causing you pain, call your dentist immediately for an emergency visit. Call Angel Dental of El Monte to come in for an appointment and have your teeth checked just in case. Call us 626-444-2002

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