Do you like munching on ice or is fond of eating hard candies now and then? Crunching on hard objects can potentially damage your teeth or cause you to lose a piece of your tooth.
Although experts consider your tooth’s enamel to be the hardest and most mineralized tissue found in your body, its durability still has its limits. Receiving such a strong force to the face or even biting down on a hard object can cause any of your teeth to break.
Caring for a Broken Tooth
If you got a broken, fractured, or chipped tooth, then it’s best to see your dentist immediately. Leaving it unattended could potentially cause further damage. Even worse, it can also become infected, which could cause you to lose the entire tooth.
But if it happened during the wee hours of the night and you don’t have access to dental care, there are a few self-care measures that you can do.
If you feel that your tooth starts to be painful, consider taking acetaminophen or any other over-the-counter pain reliever. Then, rinse your mouth with water mixed with salt to reduce the swelling.
Meanwhile, if the break caused your tooth to become jagged or sharp, you can try covering it with a piece of sugarless chewing gum or a portion of wax paraffin to cover it up. Doing so will protect your tongue or any part of your mouth from getting cut.
Treatment for damaged teeth depends on its severity. If only a small part of the tooth’s enamel breaks off, then you can do it in a single office visit. But for those who require more intensive treatments, then the length of time is longer and the process will be costlier.
Ways to Repair a Broken Tooth
For those with a minor chipped tooth, your dentist may suggest having a filling to repair the damage. If the repair is visible, then he’ll suggest bonding to fix the issue.
Bonding or dental filling doesn’t require any numbing to treat the damaged tooth. To perform the procedure, the dentist etches the outer layer with a gel or liquid to roughen the texture. Thus, making the adhesive material stick to it better. Next, he’ll apply an adhesive substance to the tooth, which soon gets succeeded by a tooth-colored resin. Once the procedure is complete, the dentist reshapes the bonding material and puts it under the ultraviolet beam to solidify it.
The other procedure is the dental cap or dental crown. The dentist usually performs the process if a large piece of tooth breaks off. Getting a dental crown gives you the option to choose metal resin, ceramic, or porcelain to protect your tooth.
Getting a crown often requires two visits to complete it. However, there are a few dental offices that use unique digital milling technology that lets them produce a crown on the same day.
These are only a few of the things that you need to know when dealing with a broken tooth. If you notice any bleeding or damages in your teeth, then it’s best to visit the dentist immediately.