Fix Broken Teeth

There are many potential causes of a broken tooth, but one thing is certain: having a broken tooth can destroy your self-confidence and make smiling and embarrassment. Whether your tooth broke on a piece of hard food, like an ice cube or candy, or whether it was due to an accident, injury, or tooth decay, there is a good chance that a dentist will be able to use modern dental techniques to fix your broken tooth. If you have a cracked or fractured tooth, contact your dentist to learn about treatment options that can restore your smile, and your confidence.

Crowns are among the most popular ways to fix broken teeth. Crowns can cover an entire tooth, making them a convenient solution for teeth in any stage of fracture. Crowns are more resilient than veneers and can restore both the tooth’s appearance and its function. Because they are usually made of a combination of sturdy materials like metal, porcelain, and ceramic, crowns are considered the safest way to repair broken or decaying teeth.

Veneers are custom-made sheets of porcelain or composite resin material that are very thin and are placed over the front surface of the damaged tooth. Because of the thinness and material of veneers, they resemble natural teeth in their color and translucence, which allows them to be a preferable cosmetic solution for broken or damaged teeth; they may not be as durable as other methods of treatment, however.

If a tooth is severely broken, especially closer to the gumline, dentists may prefer to remove the entire broken tooth and use a dental implant, combined with a crown, to replace the tooth. This is a useful treatment in cases of severe damage to the teeth, especially when one or more teeth in a row are damaged beyond repair, as dentists may replace several teeth with a row of crowns affixed to only one or two dental implants.

While it is the least complex method of repairing a damaged tooth, dental bonding may be a good solution for otherwise healthy teeth that contain small cracks or chips. In a bonding procedure, your dentist will use a small piece of composite resin material to fill in any damaged areas of the tooth, affixing and hardening this composite with a blue light that seals the bond and fixes the tooth.

On the other end of the tooth repair spectrum, in cases of severe damage to the teeth that has led to infection, dentists may suggest root canal as the most effective treatment. If your tooth is cracked significantly enough, and for long enough, the pulp inside the tooth can grow infected. When this happens, dentists will recommend a root canal. In this procedure, your dentist will remove the infected pulp from the inside of the tooth or teeth, and then they will place a crown to keep infection from spreading into adjacent teeth or into the soft tissue and bone.

While you may not think of a cavity as a broken tooth, that is what it is: a spot of decay that has weakened the surface of the tooth and may allow infection to permeate, or decay to proliferate. A dental filling is the everyday way to address dental cavities, and dental fillings are among the safest of the procedures dentists use to repair broken teeth. Fillings protect the teeth and help restore their appearance, as they are most frequently made with a tooth-colored composite material that blends in to the rest of the surface of the tooth. Because fillings are medical as well as cosmetic, they are among the most cost-effective ways to fix the teeth, as they are often covered by dental insurance.

Dental sealants are the preferred treatment for protecting cracked and potentially infected teeth that have small holes in them. Sealants provide a barrier against bacteria that can cause cavities and damage the teeth. If your dentist has noted the beginning of decay in your harder-to-reach teeth, like the molars and premolars, it is likely that you have had a dental sealant applied to the backs of these teeth during a routine dental appointment.

Teeth that are broken, cracked, or chipped can constitute a dental emergency, as they may worsen if left unaddressed. Cracked or broken teeth are also especially susceptible to infection, so it is imperative that you contact a dentist to begin treatment for a broken or cracked tooth as early as possible. If you discover a damaged tooth, contact your dentist immediately so you can begin discussing the best options for your dental treatment. The options listed above provide an overview, and your dentist can give you more information about which option or options may be preferable for you.

More about Fixing Teeth : Fix Chipped Teeth