You never think it will happen to you, but it has. It may have occurred when you bit down on a piece of food. You may have fallen when running and landed right on your face. It may be due to you grinding your teeth at night. Now you have a broken or chipped tooth. It’s something that you need to have fixed, quickly, for a variety of reasons. But what should be done?
We’re here to answer the question: Tooth Fractures: What Kind Of Procedure Is Needed?
The main issue that you need to worry about here is whether any bacteria can then get into the tooth and cause an infection. That can create a lot of problems with your other teeth and even possibly your long-term health, since the bacteria can get into your bloodstream and cause things like heart disease, among other things. So your tooth needs to be seen by an Ohio dental professional as soon as possible.
It’s not just the bacteria. If you wait, you might crack the tooth more, and the pain and discomfort will only be heightened as time goes on. If you try to ignore it, then you will just feel worse as time goes on. So, do not dally. This might mean needing to cut a trip short if you are away from a city or suburb. The loss from that will likely still be way less than having to have expensive work done on your teeth.
This is not a situation in which you want to wait to see if it gets better. If it happens on the weekend, you will likely have to go to an emergency room if your dentist doesn’t have weekend hours. Otherwise, there is the risk of infection or even more damage to the tooth while you wait. That can be the difference between your keeping the tooth or having to have it extracted and then needing a dental implant.
The sooner that your dentist can see you, the better the chance that they can do the most effective work when it comes to preserving your tooth or giving you something to protect it. Make sure you bring any pieces of the tooth and carefully explain what happens when you see the dentist. The more they know of the story and they literally have all the pieces, the better your odds.
Size matters here. It depends on how broken or chipped your tooth is. If the filling is going to be causing more stress to the tooth and might cause it to either split even more or even possibly break, then your dentist will likely want to explore more options than the filling. If it is a very small crack and the chances of the filling creating even more pressure and damaging the tooth, then your Columbus dentist may opt to go with the filling. They may opt for dental bonding, also.
The crown will act as a protective shield over the cracked tooth and prevent any more damage from happening. Your dentist may elect to go with this if there is a big piece that is broken off, but there is enough tooth left to preclude an extraction. So they may grind the tooth down and then put a crown over it. It will act like a natural tooth, but you just need to avoid biting hard food.
If the pulp of your tooth is exposed thanks to the crack or break, then this can be very painful. The best option is for your dentist to drill into the area (with anesthesia) and remove the pulp and the root, giving you a dead tooth. Then they will put the crown over the tooth to protect it. This is if there is major damage, but they still don’t need to extract it.
The important thing is to not panic when you get a broken or chipped tooth. While time is of the essence, rushing can cause you to forget something. Then that might add more work for the dentist to do, which might be more expensive in the long run. Keep a cool head and you will improve your chances of being able to possibly keep your original tooth and not have to have it removed.
Have you got a chipped tooth problem? Not to worry. Get in touch with Columbus’ top-rated dental office: US Dental Medical. The staff will know what to do with your tooth and they will ensure that everything goes very smoothly. Do not hesitate to call today to make an appointment: 614-252-3181.
US Dental and Medical Care
949 E Livingston Ave,
Columbus, OH 43205
Phone: (614) 252-3181
Website: https://usdentalmedical.com