You’re enjoying a delicious bowl of popcorn when suddenly — crunch! You accidentally bite down on an unpopped kernel. You use your tongue to assess the damage, and you discover that part of your tooth is gone. When you chip a tooth, the first thing you should do is call your dentist in Boca Raton for an emergency appointment so they can determine whether the break is purely cosmetic or if it poses a threat to your oral health. Then, you can start thinking about how to restore the tooth’s appearance and function. A prosthodontist, a dentist who specializes in dental prosthetics, may offer multiple treatments that can get your smile back to looking and feeling its best.
A Dental Crown
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that fits over the entire portion of a tooth that extends above the gum line. If the damage to your tooth affected its innermost layers, you likely underwent a root canal. Because a tooth that has been treated with a root canal is weaker than it was prior to treatment, a crown is often necessary to protect it against further damage. A porcelain crown can blend in seamlessly with the teeth around it and make it virtually impossible for onlookers to tell that you ever had a chipped tooth.
Dental Bonding or a Veneer
If one of your front teeth got chipped, and the damage is purely cosmetic in nature, dental bonding or a porcelain veneer may be the best way to repair it. During the bonding process, your dentist applies a tooth-colored resin to the tooth and shapes it in the desired way. A special light hardens the resin. A porcelain veneer is a thin piece of porcelain that your dentist can attach to the tooth to disguise the chip. Veneers tend to retain their beauty and function much longer than bonding, but both treatments can provide beautiful, natural-looking results.
A Dental Implant
In some cases, a tooth is so badly broken that there is no way to repair it; extraction becomes necessary. If that happened in your case, don’t despair! You can soon regain a complete smile via a dental implant, which will replace your entire tooth from the root up. After your treatment is complete, the gap in your smile will become nothing more than an unpleasant memory.
Is It Okay to Do Nothing?
If a chip in your tooth is not posing a threat to your oral health, you can choose not to get it repaired. However, you may find that your tooth’s jagged edge is constantly irritating or tongue or other soft tissues in your mouth. A chipped tooth is also more vulnerable to future damage. It is in your best interests to get the tooth restored as soon as possible.
Is a chipped tooth downgrading your smile? Visit a prosthodontist to talk about your treatment options.
About the Author
Dr. Steven Feit is a prosthodontist and emergency dentist in Boca Raton. He offers crowns, bonding, veneers, dental implant restorations, and more. If you would like to talk to him about getting your chipped tooth repaired, contact his office at 561-338-7535.