Treatment for Chipped Teeth

by Dr. Sunil Phol Dr. Sunil International Dental Center

Remember the time when we use fall flat on our face and injured our teeth? Or sometimes while riding a bicycle we fell down and broke our teeth? The immense pain and embarrassment was unbearable. I wonder how they do it in the movies? How much they fake it? I mean just imagine someone falling off a bike or getting beaten up from all fronts still maintains that smile. Well, this is the difference between movies and real life and that’s why they get paid so much.

But here in real life, one deformity on our face or teeth or bad breath will keep us away from social circles. So today instead of discussing about bad breath and gums lets discuss about chipped teeth and treatments that are required to redefine your smile. Here is a little heads up – Chipped teeth is one of the most common injuries that we humans face. It doesn’t matter what type or size of chip you have, the important part is if at all you face any other dental issue, it needs to be addressed immediately. Do not be negligent about the size of the chip – small or large – and immediately seek dental help. The reason is that a broken tooth exposes nerves which will result in tooth sensitivity and trust me that pains even more. It’s easy to fix a completely broken tooth. In fact, you can try it at home. So if your tooth is broken you can put it back in by following these steps:

a) Clean the tooth and hold it by the crown. Do not touch any exposed nerve because it may damage the ligaments. Try to put the teeth in its socket. Hold for a few seconds by gently biting it. There will be a situation where you might not be able to put it back so soak it in milk, warm water, saliva, or between your gum and cheek.

b) Call your dentist or visit the nearest emergency center. The dentist will re-instate the knocked off teeth and Voila, you have your tooth back.

Coming back to chipped teeth. So, if you have met with an accident and have a chipped tooth, then do not worry. There are treatment options available to cure chipped tooth. So you can try any of the following:

1.      Dental Bonding: Dental Bonding help in correcting most of the chipped tooth. While treating this condition your dentist will fill the chipped portion with resin which will be of the color of teeth and will reshape it so that it matches the shape of your teeth.

2.     Shaping of Enamel: Almost the same as Dental Bonding. But dentist does not use any composite resin to fix the chipped teeth instead they reshape the existing one. So a portion of the teeth is reshaped or re-contoured and this smooths our the imperfections.

3.       Veneers: Veneers are used when damage is beyond repair and chipped teeth cannot be fixed Bonding or Enamel Shaping. Veneers cover the surface and are used for the front teeth.

4.       Root Canal: Well, this is one dental treatment that everyone wants to avoid, but it is very effective for fixing chipped teeth. This is generally performed if there is some pain in the injured portion.

5.     Tooth Extraction: This is the last resort. Performed only when the tooth cannot be saved. But you need not worry as Dental Implants can serve as an alternative to missing teeth.

It’s always been suggested that precaution is better than cure so you may try some preventive measures to avoid your teeth being chipped. So you can use a mouth guard while playing sports, performing and practicing oral hygiene and maintain a healthy diet.

Dr. Sunil Phol is a cosmetic dentistry specialist in Thailand. Having nearly 2 decades of experience, he believes that as we grow, we become less careful towards our health and because of our erratic eating habits we spoil our mouth and teeth to a great extent. So here he is letting out all the knowledge that he can, related to teeth problems and some common procedures that is carried out.

Know more: http://www.drsunildental.com/