Though your teeth often endure wear and tear without issue, accidents can happen to the best of us. An ill-timed bite or other high pressure in your mouth may cause your durable teeth to chip, crack, or fracture.
Tooth breakage might hurt, but even if you think you can tolerate the discomfort, you should seek urgent attention from your dentist. A crack in your tooth makes it vulnerable to infections and other dental problems. And the injury will worsen without dental intervention.
Depending on the extent of the dental damage, your dentist can approach restoring your tooth’s health in a number of ways. Read on to learn about three methods a dentist may employ to treat broken teeth.
Dental Bonding
Your dentist can amend small chips and cracks in teeth using cosmetic dentistry. They might employ tooth bonding to fix this minor type of tooth breakage. This treatment entails a dentist applying composite resin to the teeth.
Then they cure it to harden it so that the tooth-colored resin remains in place over the smile. The result is a more even, bright finish that covers damage in the tooth enamel.
Dentists might also suggest porcelain veneers to cover and shield small cracks on the front of the teeth. These custom caps will go over these cracks to enhance the appearance of the smile as well as seal over the break to prevent further harm to the tooth. Learn more when you schedule a cosmetic dental consultation.
Dental Crowns
A more severe crack in a tooth will need more extensive protection that cosmetic dentistry alone cannot provide. In the event of a fractured tooth, a dentist will give the patient a dental crown.
This ceramic cap goes over the entire surface of the tooth and seals into place with dental cement. It restores the appearance, health, and capabilities of the tooth for long-lasting results. You can chew and perform oral functions as you normally would again.
Plus, the custom finish of the crown ensures a durable and gorgeous finish that will look natural in your smile. See thorough dental preservation that will last for fifteen years or longer with this fixture.
Tooth Extraction
If the fracture in a tooth extends below the gumline, then a dentist cannot reach the damage to fix it. In this case, a dentist will need to remove the tooth through an extraction procedure to protect the rest of your mouth.
The dentist will numb the area and then take the tooth out of its socket. You can expect some downtime to recover from this oral surgery. But if you do not take care of this dental problem, you leave yourself prone to high levels of discomfort and a great risk of infection.
Preserve your dental structure as much as you can by seeking treatment from your dentist right away for tooth breakage. Reduce your risk of cracking a tooth by paying attention to your oral habits.