How a General Dentistry Treats a Broken Tooth

Your teeth are made of enamel, the hardest tissue in the body, but they can still break. If you suffer a broken tooth, do not panic. General dentistry has a variety of options available to fix it.

How to treat a broken tooth before you get to the dentist

You should visit your general dentistry office as soon as possible following a chipped, fractured, or broken tooth in order to avoid further damage, infection, or potential tooth loss. In the meantime, you should implement some first aid at home to minimize the pain and avoid additional injury.

• If your tooth has a jagged edge, use a piece of paraffin or sugar-free gum to cover the sharp part and keep it from cutting your cheek, lip, or tongue.
• If you are in pain, use an over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen.
• If you have to eat, consume only soft foods and try not to exert pressure on the fractured tooth.

Options for general dentistry to treat a broken tooth

The treatment options for your broken tooth depend on the severity of the damage. If the enamel is barely chipped, your general dentistry professional can likely fix it in one visit. A bad break in the tooth may necessitate a longer and more complicated procedure, which will come with a bigger price tag as well. Here are some of the methods your dentist may use to treat your chipped or broken tooth.

Crowns

If you have lost a large part of your tooth or if it is decayed, your dentist may file down the remaining portion of the tooth and fit it with a crown, which is a tooth-shaped cap.

Filling or bonding

General dentistry often uses a filling to repair a small chip in the tooth's enamel. However, a tooth with a more visible break may call for a bonding procedure. During bonding, a composite resin in the same color as your teeth is applied to the etched surface and hardened with ultraviolet light. This procedure is quick, relatively painless, and the result looks very natural.

Veneers

When a front tooth is chipped or broken, a veneer may be used to restore its look. A dental veneer is made of thin, natural-colored resin or porcelain composite and is used to cover the front portion of the tooth. The procedure requires shaving a bit of enamel from the tooth before an impression is made for use by the fabricating dental lab. A second visit to your general dentistry office is needed to have the veneer applied. At this visit, the tooth is prepared with a liquid roughening agent prior to the veneer being adhered to the tooth with a special cement. Finally, ultraviolet light activates the cement so the veneer hardens in place.

Root canal

Sometimes a tooth breaks severely enough to uncover the pulp. Pain, color changes, or excess sensitivity in the tooth may indicate damage or disease to the pulp, which needs to be removed by general dentistry with a root canal.