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The pain you receive due to a broken or chipped tooth is extremely unbearable, especially when you try to eat something and it requires a dental emergency. You would feel discomfort and less confident due to disturbance in your facial aesthetics. You can restore your dental health by consulting a dentist. Before that, you need to learn about why your tooth is broken or chipped. In this blog, we’ll explore the causes behind broken or chipped teeth, prevention, and solutions.
Causes Behind Chipped/Broken Tooth
Given below are some causes that can break or chip your teeth;
- Trauma or Injury: A tooth trauma can occur due to injury caused during sports or any other incident.
- Biting Hard Objects: Biting on hard objects can also break or chip your tooth, especially if you have weak teeth or already decaying teeth.
- Teeth Grinding: The habit of teeth grinding especially at night is called bruxism. This condition also affects your oral health if not taken care of timely.
- Weak Enamel: Weak enamel or enamel erosion can also cause oral health issues by damaging the teeth because the protective layer is affected and it no longer prevents bacterial attacks.
- Large Fillings: The large fillings teeth are weaker and can break easily.
Immediate Steps to Take if You Chip or Break a Tooth
Instant first-aid plays a crucial role in decreasing severe oral health issues. You can take the following steps if you chip or break a tooth;
- Stay Calm and Assess the Damage: Stay calm to control your anxiety after the oral health decline and try to assess the damage to understand the underlying cause.
- Save Any Broken Pieces: You should save the broken or chipped tooth piece in a clean warm water container. Your dentist might be able to reattach the piece to restore your tooth’s shape.
- Rinse Your Mouth: Rinse your mouth with warm water to remove the lodges debris in your affected tooth. If you experience bleeding then use cold water because warm water can increase the bleeding. Whatever the case, rinsing your mouth will prevent infection.
- Control Bleeding: If bleeding doesn’t stop after rinsing your mouth with cold water, then use a gauze or cotton cloth. Apply gentle pressure on the bleeding area for 10 minutes, your bleeding will stop.
- Apply a Cold Compress: Use a cold compress: Use ice cubes on the cheek of the affected area to reduce the inflammation by numbing the surface.
- Manage Pain: If you cannot visit your dentist immediately and wants to stop the pain, take over-the-counter pain reliever. It will help reduce the pain and swelling. After that consult an emergency dentist to resolve the issue of the broken tooth.
When to See A Dentist?
The following are some reasons you should consult an emergency dentist and after temporarily resolving the dental problem, book an appointment.
- Constant tooth bleeding
- Extreme toothache along with jaw or ear pain
- Difficulty while eating and speaking
- Symptoms of infection
Treatment Available for Chipped or Broken Tooth
Treating your oral health issue is necessary to maintain optimal oral and overall health. Let’s look at the treatments available for chipped or broken teeth;
- Dental crown
- Dental implantation
- Dental bonding
- Dental veneers
- Root canal therapy
- Tooth extraction
Conclusion
In conclusion, broken or chipped teeth can disrupt oral health and overall health. To restore the oral health you should schedule your treatment by booking an appointment with your dentist. The dentist will restore the shape, size, and strength of your tooth by providing a suitable treatment. You deserve a bright smile and pearly whites, so why delay your treatment? Contact your dentist today!