Are you starting to see signs of worn, flat, or chipped teeth? Depending on why your teeth are chipping, there could be a number of causes. The key is to address them quickly before those fractures spread deeper into your teeth.
What Causes Teeth to Break?
Some of the most common causes of chipped teeth are due to:
- Age
- Nail biting or chewing non-food items
- Clenching and grinding
- Sleep apnoea
- TMJ disorder
- Misaligned teeth
- Opening things with your teeth
- Accidental trauma
- Sports injuries
Even if a chip doesn’t appear to be too severe, there’s always the chance that it can cause additional tooth structure to break off. Teeth are made up of the hardest substance in the entire human body, but they are not invincible. Just like breaking a bone, teeth can fracture too. The only difference is that teeth cannot repair themselves; you’ll need the help of our dental team to set things right again.
What to do with a Chipped Tooth
If you chip or knock out a tooth, the first thing to do is try to find the piece that broke off. When at all possible, locate the fragment and bring it to our office immediately (especially if it is a large fragment or whole tooth).
Make sure that you store the broken piece of tooth in a sealed container. Cover the tooth entirely with milk, saline, contact solution, or if none of those are available, tap water with a pinch of salt. Keeping your tooth moist is crucial when it comes to successfully reattaching it.
Knocked out teeth need to be handled slightly differently than chipped teeth. Do not touch any part of the tooth root unless absolutely necessary. If there is visible debris, hold the tooth under a slow stream of water to rinse it clean. Do not scrub or rub the tooth. When possible, reinsert the tooth back into the socket and apply firm pressure. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, store it as mentioned above.
For best results, you’ll want to see our dentist within 1-2 hours of knocking out the tooth. Knocked out teeth and large fractures are a dental emergency & need to be tended to immediately. Extremely small chips where the fragment is more like a sliver of enamel can be scheduled at your earliest convenience.
If you are in pain, here are some ways to ease discomfort before you see our dentist for emergency care:
- Take an anti-inflammatory as directed
- If there is bleeding, apply firm pressure to the area
- Rinse with warm salt water to alleviate any soft tissue inflammation
- Cover the tooth with orthodontic wax, sugar-free gum, or a temporary filling material from the pharmacy
Fixing Chipped Teeth
Repairing a chipped tooth is important for both functional as well as aesthetic purposes. Addressing those areas sooner can prevent the progression of the fracture further into your tooth. Especially since the layer of teeth under the enamel is weaker and more prone to wear.
First, we will want to assess the extent of the fracture. Is it isolated to the enamel? Does it extend into the layer of dentin underneath? Is the nerve involved in any way? Depending on how deep the fracture reaches, the treatment recommendations can vary significantly. Here are some of the most common restorative treatments for broken or knocked out teeth and when each one would be appropriate:
Bonding it Back Together
Small to moderate pieces of fractured enamel can sometimes be bonded or cemented back onto your tooth.
Smoothing the Tooth
If your fracture is extremely small, it may not cause any structural or aesthetic problems. However, the sharp edge could easily irritate your tongue. We can easily smooth this surface for you to prevent tissue irritation.
Dental Bonding
For small chips or fractures, dental bonding offers a fast and simple cosmetic solution. Similar to a tooth-coloured filling, this material is shaped to your tooth and blends in with the surrounding enamel. Bonding only takes a short time to apply, so you’ll enjoy immediate results. Numbing may not even be required. This restoration is ideal for smaller areas of enamel damage.
Porcelain Veneer
Veneers are ideal for aesthetic purposes when a chipped tooth causes cosmetic concerns but otherwise doesn’t impact the overall structure of the tooth. Keep in mind that veneers are typically completed in sets of six or more, so additional teeth will be included as part of the restorative process.
Dental Crown
Large fractures that take up 1/3 or more of the tooth’s surface will typically require a crown. Crowns cover your entire tooth. They also distribute biting and chewing pressure across the surface, making your tooth less likely to break down any further. Thanks to durable porcelain materials, we can match your crown to the adjacent teeth. That way, when you smile, no one will know the difference.
Root Canal Therapy
Once a knocked out tooth is reinserted, the nerve of the tooth will begin to deteriorate. By removing the nerve tissues and placing a root canal through the centre of the tooth, we can increase the chances of tooth preservation for several more years. Most teeth will also need a dental crown after receiving root canal therapy.
Replacing Your Tooth
If a knocked out tooth is not salvageable, we will want to replace the tooth as early as possible. Otherwise, adjacent and opposing teeth will begin to drift out of alignment. Dental implants or a fixed dental bridge are both effective ways of restoring missing teeth.
Teeth Straightening
Misaligned, crooked, and crowded teeth tend to be at a higher risk for chipping and enamel wear. Adjusting the alignment of your smile with braces or clear aligners will help prevent the repaired tooth from breaking again, as well as decrease the risk of chipping in other parts of your mouth.
Prevention: How to Strengthen Teeth
What are some ideal ways to prevent chipping your teeth? If you have concerns about chipping because of weak enamel, family history, or past areas of tooth damage, here are some protective steps you can take to safeguard your smile:
Wear a sports mouthguard. Some of the most common causes of fractured teeth and dental emergencies are related to sports. Any sport where someone could get bumped in the mouth, hit with a ball, or fall on the ground has the potential to cause a dental injury. Wearing a custom-fitted mouthguard will offer the highest level of protection against chipped or knocked out teeth.
Sleep in a bite splint/nightguard. Stressful lifestyles or night-time bruxism (clenching and grinding) place extensive amounts of pressure on our tooth enamel. If you tend to wake with headaches or jaw pain, you may be grinding your teeth while you sleep. Investing in a nightguard is a smart way to protect your smile.
Get screened for sleeping disorders. Sleep apnoea causes people to clench and grind their teeth during periods of oxygen deprivation. The constant tension may cause teeth to develop flat or sharp edges from wearing end-on-end. Fractures and chipped enamel are also common, as well as broken dental work. If you’re experiencing symptoms of sleep disordered breathing, be sure to get screened.
Don’t bite your nails or use your teeth as tools. When you use your teeth to bite on things that aren’t food, or to open packages, you tend to cause your front teeth to wear end-on-end. They aren’t designed for that. One accidental slip could cause a significant break in your tooth.
Apply fluoride regularly. Make sure to use fluoridated toothpaste at least twice a day in your oral hygiene routine. Fluoride helps remineralise areas of weak enamel, making teeth more resistant to cavities and physical damage. We can also apply topical fluoride during your scale and clean appointment.
Treat tooth decay early. Cavities weaken your teeth by eroding the enamel and creating physical voids in the structure underneath. This process leaves a thin shell of tooth that can easily break off during everyday activities. Treating the cavity as early as possible will help preserve a larger amount of healthy enamel, before the decay spreads.
Bite assessments and orthodontic screenings. Crooked teeth are at a statistically higher risk for emergencies, such as chipped enamel. Your teeth can naturally begin to shift over time. The way we swallow, talk, and chew can place pressure on teeth, causing them to move. By evaluating your bite at your regular checkups, we can identify pressure points that may be more susceptible to fractures. If teeth straightening is required, we can take steps to do so before damage occurs.
Schedule regular checkups. When you visit Hawthorn Road Family Dental for your six monthly checkup, we’ll evaluate your teeth and how they bite together. If areas of wear, cavities, or small chips are present, we’ll help you create a plan to address those concerns and prevent new ones from forming.
Chipped Teeth? Contact Us
Our friendly dental team will help you repair chipped teeth so that your smile looks healthy again. You don’t have to let tooth pain ruin your day. Contact us straightaway for an emergency appointment or consultation.
