Dealing with a broken tooth? Read on to learn about how a dentist can help. A broken tooth is one of those injuries that tend to occur at the worst possible times. You’re having fun one second, and your tooth is broken the next. It might be a tasty treat you bite into, a fall, or a blow to the face that does the job. Fortunately, there are multiple ways a dentist can go about saving a broken tooth.
One broken tooth is enough to ruin the way your smile looks regardless of how healthy the rest of your teeth look. It also puts your oral health at risk since food particles and bacteria can become lodged in the crevices created by the damage. Some of a tooth’s enamel also comes off when its structures become damaged. Enamel being lost increases the risk of the tooth becoming damaged by decay.
The treatment recommended by a dentist for a broken tooth depends on the severity of the damage to the tooth. Some of the ways a dentist might opt to fix a damaged tooth include:
This treatment involves using a composite resin made from mixtures of glass and plastics to rebuild and repair damaged teeth. The composite is matched with the shade of the patient’s teeth, so any repairs made do not stand out.
Composite bonding is a non-invasive procedure that does not require permanent alterations to the patient’s tooth. The procedure can be completed in as little as 45 minutes, and it is typically recommended for minor damage that does not affect a tooth’s pulp chamber.
Crowns are typically recommended for moderate to severe breaks. The crown helps to hold what’s left of the tooth together, and it protects it from the bite forces generated while chewing. Placing a crown on a tooth involves removing enamel from its sides, so the crown fits snuggly on it. It is a permanent alteration that cannot be reversed in the future. This means the prepared tooth will always need a crown on it to serve as its artificial enamel.
Crowns also restore the aesthetics of damaged teeth, and they can be matched with the color of the patient’s other teeth.
Root canal therapy is recommended when damage to a tooth reaches its pulp chamber. The chamber holds nerves, connective tissues, and blood vessels. It is sealed off from the rest of the tooth to protect the soft tissues from acids and bacteria in the mouth. Severe damage to a tooth can leave this area open, making the soft tissues in the pulp chamber vulnerable to infection.
A root canal is used to remove the soft tissues in the pulp chamber and seal the area back up.
A broken tooth requires treatment regardless of how minor it is. Call or visit our Des Plaines clinic to set up an appointment.
Request an appointment here: https://www.healthydentalcenter.com or call Healthy Dental Center at (847) 390-5800 for an appointment in our Des Plaines office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Emergency Dental Care in Des Plaines, IL.
A broken tooth is a serious and sometimes scary matter that can be treated by a dental professional in various ways, depending on its severity. However, there are certain things that you should do before arriving at the dentist to restore the health and appearance of your broken tooth. This review discusses how to handle…
When it comes to a toothache, you will need to decide the type of dental service required. Sometimes, that means scheduling an appointment with your dentist at your earliest convenience. Other times, it indicates that you need to seek emergency care. To help you make the right decision, find out why constitutes a dental emergency.Unfortunately,…
An emergency dentist is a particular type of dental professional who undergoes additional education and training to learn how to deal with urgent and emergency situations. While emergency dentists do learn how to provide general dentistry care, they also learn how to think and act on the spot when an emergency happens. In most cases,…
If a patient has cracked, chipped, or broken a tooth, a licensed emergency dentist can provide quick relief in a variety of ways and ultimately repair the tooth to make it look whole again. This type of tooth damage can happen to anyone, but a person may be more at risk for this type of…
