Your teeth are pretty tough and you do a lot to take care of them, but sometimes accidents happen, and you may find yourself with a chipped, cracked, or broken tooth. A chipped tooth is almost always unexpected and almost always inconvenient, but knowing what to do if it happens can make a stressful experience a little easier to handle.
The first thing you should do if you think you’ve chipped, cracked, or otherwise damaged a tooth is to call your dentist. Bright Now! Dental offers emergency dental services as well as same-day appointments at many of our convenient locations, making it easy for you to get your chipped tooth treated quickly.
It’s important to seek care for your chipped or broken tooth, since it will be easier, faster, and more affordable to treat it early, before more damage can occur or decay can set in.
Chipped and broken teeth will not heal on their own. Without restorative dental care, they will continue to degrade and will eventually develop infection and decay that can spread to the gums, other teeth, and the jaw.
The best treatment for a chipped or broken tooth depends on several factors, such as the severity of the damage, the location of the damage, and what type of tooth is affected. Some of the most common ways to treat a chipped or broken tooth include:
The treatment: The dentist will use a dental file to smooth out any rough or sharp edges, then use a filling material to fill in the damaged area, restoring the integrity, function, and appearance of the tooth.
Best for: Small cracks or chips that are not highly visible or very deep.
The treatment: A tooth-colored resin is adhered to the surface of the tooth, smoothing out the damaged surface and protecting the tooth from further damage. The resin is then shaped to blend in seamlessly with the adjacent teeth.
Best for: Chips or cracks that are visible in the mouth.
The treatment: The tooth is smoothed and prepared, then capped with a crown made of resin, porcelain, ceramic, or metal. With the exception of metal, the crown will look just like a natural tooth.
Best for: Teeth with substantial damage that can’t be fixed with a filling or bonding or damage that threatens the inner layers of the tooth.
The treatment: The dentist will remove any damaged part of the tooth, clean out the inside, and close off the tooth with a filling material. Then the tooth will be covered with a crown.
Best for: Deep or extensive chips or cracks that have damaged the dental pulp or the roots of a tooth, causing infection or decay.
The treatment: The damaged tooth is extracted and replaced with a dental prosthesis, such as a bridge, a crown, or a dental implant.
Best for: Severely damaged teeth that cannot be saved. Badly damaged teeth will not heal on their own, and can lead to infection or bone loss if they aren’t removed.
Every dental injury is different, so it’s important to schedule an appointment with a dentist or seek emergency dental care as soon as possible so you can treat the injury as soon as possible and minimize additional damage. Fixing a chipped tooth sooner rather than later can also help you avoid more costly procedures in the future that could develop as a result of the injury. For example, a simple dental filling or bonding treatment to repair a chipped tooth could cost anywhere between $60-$200, depending on the extent of the damage, but if it goes untreated, that chipped tooth could eventually deteriorate and lead to infection or tooth loss, costing you thousands in replacements like dental implants. If you have chipped a tooth or sustained another dental injury, visit the Bright Now! Dental location nearest you for care and exact pricing.
At Bright Now! Dental, we understand that chipped teeth and dental injuries are usually unexpected and hard to plan for financially. That is why, in addition to accepting almost all major dental insurance plans, we also offer multiple financing options, flexible payment plans, and the OneSmile Dental Plan to help you afford the cost of the treatment you need.
Leaving a chipped or damaged tooth untreated can lead to bigger dental health problems in the future, including infected tooth roots, infected gums, tooth decay, toothaches, and oral tissue cuts caused by the sharp edges of a broken tooth. With multiple locations, a variety of payment options, and flexible scheduling, Bright Now! Dental makes it easy for you to get in for the care you need quickly and easily, so you can get out and get back to your busy schedule with a beautiful, fully restored smile.
Orthodontics may be provided by general dentists.
