Your teeth are among the strongest structures in your body, but they are not indestructible. Crunchy foods, contact sports, icy sidewalks. We’ve heard many stories of how a tooth can get chipped, and we’ve treated plenty. Some patients come in with a tiny piece missing from a front tooth. Others have broken a larger portion of a molar. The circumstances differ, but patients usually want to know the same thing: How do you fix it? At Aesthetic Associates Centre in Buffalo, fixing a chipped tooth starts with a few questions. Where did the tooth break? How much damage occurred? And how much healthy tooth remains to work with?
Fixing a Chipped Tooth: What Are Your Treatment Options?
Think about how you use your teeth throughout the day. Your front teeth take the first bite of a sandwich or an apple. Your back teeth do the heavier work of chewing and grinding. A chip in either location affects the tooth differently, depending on where it breaks.
A chipped front tooth tends to get your attention immediately. Even a small piece missing from the edge can change your smile. Depending on where it broke, you might notice a rough spot against your tongue or an uncomfortable edge when you bite.
A chipped molar can be trickier. The raised points on your back teeth, called cusps, help you chew. If one breaks off, the tooth may still look relatively normal, but biting down puts pressure on the weakened area.
We also assess how far the damage extends. A chip limited to the outer enamel is one thing. A fracture reaching the sensitive dentin or the nerve inside calls for a closer look at what we can preserve and how to repair it.
Which Treatment Can Repair the Damage to My Tooth?
Some patients assume fixing a chipped tooth requires a dental crown. We have several ways to replace the missing portion, and the amount of healthy tooth remaining helps us decide which to use.
- Porcelain veneers: If you’ve chipped a front tooth, we may be able to repair its appearance with a veneer. We place a thin, tooth-colored covering on the front of the tooth to restore its shape and match the color of the surrounding teeth.
- Inlays and onlays: Sometimes a back tooth loses part of its chewing surface but still has plenty of healthy structure. An inlay fits between the raised cusps, while an onlay can replace one or more of them.
- Dental crowns: A larger break may leave too little healthy structure for a smaller restoration. A crown covers the prepared tooth, replaces the missing portion, and protects what remains when you bite and chew.
Sometimes, what looks like a chip is actually a deeper fracture. If the nerve inside the tooth is damaged or infected, you may need root canal treatment before we can restore it. If the tooth is too badly broken to save, we may need to extract it.
In that situation, we can discuss replacing the missing tooth with a mini dental implant and an implant-supported crown. The mini implant acts as an artificial tooth root, and the crown replaces the visible portion. Together, they provide a replacement that stays securely in place when you eat and speak.
Can a Chipped Tooth Get Worse Without Treatment?
A small chip causing no pain or sensitivity usually does not require an emergency appointment. However, we recommend calling our office to arrange an examination. Even a small break can leave a rough or weakened area needing attention.
If a large piece has broken off, the tooth feels loose, or you experience pain, sensitivity, bleeding, or a sharp edge cutting your cheek or tongue, call us immediately.
At Aesthetic Associates Centre, we provide emergency dental care for broken teeth and other injuries. Our 24-hour emergency line is available when you need guidance, and we arrange emergency appointments as needed to examine the damage and begin treatment.
Restore Your Damaged Tooth in Buffalo, NY
A small chip along the edge of a front tooth and a broken cusp on a molar may have little in common in treatment. At Aesthetic Associates Centre, Dr. Todd Shatkin and our team have several ways to repair damaged teeth, from porcelain veneers that restore shape to inlays, onlays, and crowns that rebuild areas affected by heavier chewing forces.
We want to keep as much of your natural tooth as possible while ensuring the repair is strong enough for everyday use. Dr. Shatkin will assess where the tooth broke, how much healthy tooth remains, and which treatment can repair the damage without removing more tooth than necessary.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment and discuss the best way to repair your chipped tooth.
