Did you experience a sharp, agonizing jab of pain in your tooth when trying to take a bite out of your meal? Sometimes, a cracked or chipped tooth isn’t visible, and you might not even notice you have one unless you experience the symptoms. Multiple factors can lead to a chipped tooth. These include injury or trauma to the mouth, using your teeth as an opener, or biting down on something hard. Now you might be wondering how to fix a chipped tooth. Carry on reading this blog to learn how you can treat this issue.
Treatments to Fix a Chipped Tooth
Your dentist can fix your chipped tooth. They’ll choose the treatment method based on a few factors, like the location and size of the damage. The treatments to get rid of a chipped tooth include:
- Dental Filling or Bonding
You might need a dental filling or bonding if you have a slightly chipped tooth.
Dental bonding might be the chosen treatment if the issue is at the front or visible part of your tooth. Your dentist will etch the tooth using a special gel or liquid. This is because the adhesive substance or bonding material will attach better to a rough surface. When the tooth-colored composite resin is applied, the dentist files it to look like your natural teeth. After that, they’ll use ultraviolet light to harden the resin. - Dental Cap or Crown
Dental bonding or filling will not work if a large part of your tooth is severely decayed or chipped off. In this case, your dentist will recommend using a dental crown. They’ll grind the remaining portion to fix the damage. Then, the dentist will cover your tooth with a dental crown. Using a dental crown for cracked tooth shields the weakened tooth. - Dental Veneers
Another way to fix a chipped tooth is dental veneers. These waffle-thin shells can come to the rescue when you chip your front teeth and need a fix. The dental veneer procedure involves filing down some of your tooth enamel. Once the tooth has been shaved down, the dentist takes impressions to send to a dental lab to prepare veneers.
When the veneers arrive, your dentist will use a special cement to attach it to the affected tooth. You can go home with a confident smile after the light hardens the material. - Root Canal Therapy
You might have broken a large portion of your teeth that the above-mentioned procedures cannot help with. If so, you may need root canal therapy in case the crack exposes your tooth pulp. This is because the pulp can get an infection, so your dentist will remove it. Next, they clean the root canal and seal your tooth. Sometimes, a dental cap is used to cover the tooth.
What’s Next?
Your dentist can fix a chipped tooth via fillings, bonding, crown, or veneers. Furthermore, severe cases might require a root canal. Now that you know how to fix a chipped tooth visit a dentist immediately if you have one. Contact our team at Hermosa Dental and schedule an appointment at:
- E. Little York: (713) 695-3400
- Highway 6: (832) 427-1797
- Porter: (281) 747-7004
- Tomball: (832) 328-5651