As experts in general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, pediatric dentistry and more, the team at the Parkcrest Dental Group deals with all kinds of dental issues — common and uncommon, minor and major. One of the most common issues seen in general dentistry is someone suffering from a chipped or cracked tooth.
Despite the natural strength of your teeth, chipping a tooth is surprisingly easy. Either through physical accidents, grinding your teeth in your sleep, or eating the wrong kind of food, you might end up chipping a tooth.
How Do You Chip a Tooth?
The natural material that makes up your teeth is pretty strong. With the variety of food that humans have eaten for so long, it had to be to allow your teeth to do their job. But, with enough force, it’s definitely possible to do some real damage.
Common causes of a chipped tooth are biting a piece of food that’s too hard — usually an unexpected bone or a hard candy, a blow to the face through playing sports or other rough physical activity, and falling and hitting your face or mouth. It’s also possible to chip or break teeth as a result of cavities since cavities often weaken your teeth.
Related Post: Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures: My Tooth Is Chipped. What Now?
What Kind of Effect Can a Chipped Tooth Have?
When you have chipped a tooth, there are few steps you should take:
- Rinse with warm water
- Cover any injuries that are open or bleeding – this includes ones inside or outside your mouth, depending on how the tooth was chipped
- Apply dental cement. Most chemists and drugstores will have dental cement that you can apply temporarily until you can see a dentist.
But, what kind of effect can a chipped tooth have? Is it safe to just ignore it? Usually, aside from the initial injury or impact that caused it, a minor chipped tooth won’t hurt much, if at all.
The problem is that it has the potential to weaken the protective layer of the tooth, which can cause the fracture to spread. If the chip is bad enough to make the tooth weaker, you may end up needing much more than general dentistry to fix the damage.
Outside of serious potential consequences, there are some superficial ones, too. If you’re conscious about your smile, or your teeth in general, a chipped tooth is likely to be a blow to your self-confidence.
Related Post: Pediatric Dentist: Common Causes Of Tooth Damage
Chipped or Broken?
There’s a pretty significant difference between a tooth being chipped and a tooth that’s broken. A bad enough break in a tooth could expose the nerve, which causes a lot of pain and needs treatment ASAP.
When it comes to a chipped tooth, there will usually be little damage outside of the part that’s chipped off. While treatment isn’t urgent for a minor chip, it’s still important to see a general dentistry professional when you’re able to. As we said above, even a small chip can lead to problems later on, so it’s up to your dentist to decide whether it needs to be fixed, filed, or is safe and minor enough to be left alone.
General Dentistry Services with Parkcrest Dental
Whether you have a chipped tooth, painful cavities, need braces or are looking for cosmetic dentistry options, the Parkcrest Dental Group is here to help. We cover a range of services, from general dentistry to orthodontic dentistry, and we’re dedicated to making you comfortable and confident about your experience.
