The Following Information Provided By Enhance Dental Centre, Your Vancouver Dentists!
What Are Options For Repairing A Chipped Tooth
Many people have had the unfortunate misfortune of discovering that that piece of hard candy they put in their mouth was more than they bargained for. Chipped or broken teeth occur with absolutely no warning beforehand and often come at very inconvenient times.
Our teeth are covered by a natural material known as enamel and while it is considered to be very tough it does have it’s limits to what it can endure. Chipped or broken teeth can occur from other activities such as accidents, playing sports or just biting down on something hard and in many cases the breakage is the result of tooth decay that weakened the tooth that was damaged. Fortunately there are many ways to fix a broken tooth and the end result can be nothing short of amazing!
The first thing to do once you realize you have broken or chipped tooth is to see your dentist as soon as you can. If you wait too long to get treatment the tooth can become infected and with continued neglect it may even fall out. If you cannot see your dentist quickly it is best to take some precautions until you do, such as:
- If the tooth is causing you pain and distress you should take an over the counter pain medication such as acetaminophen and rinse your mouth with salted water.
- If you feel sharp edges you can place sugarless gum over the tooth to help prevent it from cutting the inside of your mouth or tongue.
- If you have to eat then try to only eat soft foods or soups to avoid using your teeth for biting.
If the damage is minor then the repair can usually be performed fairly quickly and in only one visit to the dentist’s office. However, if the damage is more severe you may require more time in the chair as well as multiple, potentially expensive, visits to your dentist. There are various ways that your dentist can repair your damaged tooth. Below are some methods to be aware of.
Dental Filling or Dental Bonding
If there is only a small portion of the tooth missing your dentist may simply repair the damage with a filling. However, if the damage is to the front of the tooth where the damage is visible by smiling then this is where dental bonding is used. This is the use of tooth coloured resins that can be blended in to match the colour of the original tooth so that the result is natural and does not stand out to those around you.
With bonding there is usually no need for dental anesthetic to numb the tooth. The first step involved etching the tooth with the use of a gel or liquid that allows the bonding agent to adhere to the tooth. It is similar to using sandpaper to roughen an application before applying paint. The dentist then applies an adhesive followed by the bonding compound. Once the dentist has shaped the compound to the shape of the tooth the hardening process begins. Bonding material is sensitive to ultraviolet light in that it reacts by hardening so an ultraviolet light is applied for this purpose.
Dental Crowns
In more serious cases of tooth damage the dentist will grind the tooth down to the area that is still healthy and undamaged. This is the case for teeth that have been physically damaged due to trauma ( a blow to the face ) or due to degeneration from poor oral health. Once properly ground the dentist will then place a dental crown, sometimes called a “cap”, on top of the tooth. These are pre-shaped to match the type of tooth that is being repaired. There are a few different types of crowns with each type having their own unique advantages. For example, metal crowns are obviously the strongest but do not offer much the way of aesthetics. Materials such as ceramic, porcelain are not as strong as metal but they have the benefit of being looking nearly identical to the original tooth once proper polishing, matching and shaping have been performed.
If severe damage has occurred but the root is still healthy your dentist may perform a root canal. In some cases your dentist may refer you to an endodontic dentist which is a dentist that specialized in root canals. The root canal will be performed and a pin will be placed into the crown and then supporting material will be used for placement of a crown. The dentist can then cement a cap or crown onto the pinned restoration for the final result.
Getting a crown will usually require at least two visits to the dentist’s office. The first visit usually involves X-rays being taken so that the dentist can review the surrounding bone tissue and to check on the tooth of the tooth. If no further damage is seen then a numbing agent will be used and the dentist will proceed to remove enough of the tooth to make room for the new crown. Your dentist will then make an impression of the prepared tooth, as well as the opposite tooth, using a putty material. This is so that the dentist can get a better overall picture of how your teeth come together when you bite down and this insures a natural and comfortable fit of the new crown. The crown is not immediately ready as it must be made in a lab but your dentist may apply a temporary crown until the permanent final version is ready.
A couple of weeks can go by before the new crown is complete but once it is ready your dentist will remove the temporary crown and then inspect and test fit the new crown before finally adding a permanent cement to anchor the new crown in place.
Dental Veneers
For more minor damage such as chips and small breaks dental veneers are all that is needed to make the tooth look as if no damage ever occurred. Dental veneers are made of porcelain or composite materials and are usually very thin. They are designed to simply cover the tooth much like a fingernail. Your dentist will need to remove a very thin amount of enamel for the affected tooth. Similar to crowns, an impression will be made then sent to a lab. When the veneer is completed you will return to the dentist’s office and he will roughen the affected tooth for a strong bond with the adhesive that will be used to apply the veneer. Once applied the adhesive will be hardened with an ultraviolet light.
Root Canal
A root canal is necessary when enough of the tooth has been broken off to expose the inside of the tooth including the blood vessels and nerves. This situation can allow bacteria to enter the tooth and cause an infection. Your dentist will need to remove the inner pulp of the tooth, clean the canal where the pulp is found, and then fill and seal the canal. Root canal treatments are fairly pain free and require only local anesthetic. Once the root canal is complete the dentist will apply a crown to protect the tooth and allow for more normal use.
If you have had a tooth injury, you have many options to consider. Enhance Dental Group has the experience and know-how to guide you towards the best solution to meet your needs. If you have a dental emergency, give us a call today!
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