What are The Treatment Options for Cracked and Chipped Tooth?
What are The Treatment Options for Cracked and Chipped Tooth?
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August 2, 2018
Often, while masticating your food or biting into your favorite frozen cookie, you must have felt a tiny hard piece of tooth in your mouth. Well, this is a common scenario and many of you might have experienced the same at some point of time.
The enamel plays an important role in protecting your teeth from dental plaque or any other dental issues. Excessive wear and tear can destroy this top layer and cause the tooth to chip. This results in a jagged tooth surface which remains in a sharp and disfigured form until you treat it by a good Hornsby dentist.
Dentists claim that your teeth can chip for any number of reasons such as when you bite down on a hard candy, or when you grind your teeth in sleep. On the other hand, an unexpected bump, fall, accidents, etc. can also result in the above. Apart from this, weaken teeth are also likely to chip. There are a few things which reduces the strength of your teeth and causes the wear and tear leading to tooth chipping.
Some of Them Have Been Mentioned Below
- Cavities – Eating too many sweets or skipping brushing after every meal can lead to tooth decay. Decaying usually erodes the protective layer and weakens teeth resulting in cracked or broken tooth.
- Teeth grinding – Many people have the habit of clenching and grinding their teeth. Occasional grinding does not cause any harm, but grinding the teeth regularly can damage it in many ways. Therefore this leads to tooth chipping, loose teeth, gum recession, and also disrupts the bone structure of the jaws.
- Acid-producing food and sugary drinks – Both, acid-producing food and sugary drinks can affect your teeth. It basically corrodes the enamel and leaves the surface layer exposed. Pickles, coffee, alcohol, ketchup and other hot sauces are highly responsible for causing this situation.
- Acid reflux and poor digestive system – Some people may suffer from acid reflux and poor digestive conditions which usually flushes up the stomach acid into the mouth which is quite harmful for the tooth enamel.
- Old age – Old people might develop the risk of weakened tooth and this is very common. It causes the tooth to break or chip.
The second lower molar tooth is prone to chipping. It bears a high amount of pressure when chewing and this is why you have to be careful while masticating your food. If you already have a minor chip, you will feel a jagged point while running your tongue over your teeth. In most cases, you may even undergo some irritation in the gums surrounding the particular tooth. If the chip is closer to your gum, then it would result in pain and swelling too. In such circumstances, you need to contact a good Hornsby Dentist immediately, who would offer you the required help.
How Do Dentists Diagnose a Chipped Tooth?
Your dentist will diagnose the chipped tooth only after proper visible inspection. He will also note down the symptoms that you are undergoing, and depending on the severity of the situation, he will suggest you a solution. Such dental problems can be successfully tackled by a well-experienced Hornsby dentist. Well, you can make an appointment with one of them at the website of All Smiles Dentistry.
Dentists will perform different treatment options to treat chipped tooth problems. Here are some of them given in detail:
- Tooth Bonding – This method involves resin or porcelain materials which are cemented at the surface of the tooth and given a shape. Ultraviolet lights are used to set the materials and make it appear hard just like any other tooth in the mouth. Once the material is dried, some more shaping is done to add a finished look.
- Dental Onlays – If just a part of your tooth is chipped off, then dentists would advise you to opt for this method. This procedure is mainly applied to molar tooth. Moreover, if the damage is severe, then you will have to go for a full dental crowning process. The entire process is carried out under anesthesia, so it serves to be a safe and less painful method. What really happens in this procedure is, your dentist creates an onlay, which is fitted onto your tooth and then it is cemented over.
Treating a chipped tooth generally depends on the severity of the dental problem. If you are facing immense pain, swelling and interference while eating and sleeping, then it is certainly a medical emergency. In such cases, it is important on your part to consult an experienced Hornsby dentist who will provide you the proper medication to prevent any possible infection or damage to the tooth. Other than this, minor chip can be easily treated by polishing and smoothing the particular tooth.
Dental problems need to be treated within time to prevent any other problem arising from it. So, once the dental procedure is completed successfully by the Hornsby dentist, the recovery process is much faster than expected.