Learning to Manage Your Dental Problems

How Will Your Dentist Fix Your Chipped Tooth?

8 July 2016 by Charlotte Beck

Chipped teeth are not only unsightly, but they are also prone to decay and can cause damage to your cheeks and tongue if the edges are sharp. For these reasons, it's important to have your chipped tooth addressed by a dentist promptly. But how will your dentist fix the chip? That depends. Here's a look at the most likely treatments he or she may use.

Dental Filing

If the chip is rather small and does not extend through the enamel of the tooth, your dentist may address the issue by just filing off the chipped area to make it smooth. This process will be painless. Your dentist will inject some local anesthesia into the area around your tooth to prevent discomfort during filing, and then you'll just feel some vibrations as he or she works.

Dental Bonding

If the chip is somewhat larger, your dentist may use a procedure called dental bonding to address it. This is a similar process to inserting a filling in a tooth with a cavity. After your mouth is numbed, your dentist will file off the chipped area. Then, several plastic or metal "molds" may be temporarily placed in your mouth. The dentist will inject a composite resin into the mold, and the resin will fill the chipped area. After the resin hardens for a minute or two, your dentist will file it off to ensure it's the right shape and size. The resin should be the same color as your tooth, so you won't even be able to tell there was a chip there.

Crowns

For big chips that extend into the inner portions of the tooth, your dentist may choose to apply a crown. This is a covering of ceramic, metal, or composite resin that extends over the entire tooth. It will prevent the chip from worsening or developing other cracks. If a crown is needed, your dentist will help you decide whether ceramic, composite, or metal is the best option. Metal is often used only for back teeth, whereas ceramic and composite are preferred for front teeth since they're tooth-colored.

The process of applying a crown, like the other procedures in this article, is painless. Your dentist will anesthetize the area and then file down the tooth slightly to make "space" for the crown. Then, a mold of your tooth will be made, and a temporary crown will be put into place as the lab works on using the mold to create the permanent crown. The permanent crown will then be placed on your tooth during a second appointment.

If you've chipped a tooth, don't hesitate to have it treated by your dentist. Whether you need the chip filed, bonded, or covered with a crown, the process will be painless and much simpler than you might have imagined! Visit http://www.larsen-haslemdental.com to learn more.

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