What Do You Do When You’ve Chipped a Tooth?

A chipped tooth can happen to anyone, even those with near-perfect dental health! A chipped tooth can be embarrassing, annoying, and sometimes even painful. Here’s what to do when you find yourself with a chipped tooth - and how you can prevent chipping a tooth in the future.

How to Prevent Chipped Teeth

Although chipping a tooth is common, it is mostly preventable. Minimize your chances of chipping a tooth by:

●    Taking care of your dental health - maintaining proper dental hygiene is key to preventing chipped teeth. Regular visits to the dentist will ensure you are taking care of your teeth, including the prevention and treatment of conditions that may increase your chances of chipping a tooth.

●    Avoiding hard candy and ice - It’s tempting to chomp down on the ice after you’ve finished a drink, or chew on hard candy, but avoiding these activities can help protect your teeth.

●    Wearing a mouthguard - whether you grind your teeth at night, or you play contact sports, wearing a mouthguard is one of the best ways to protect your teeth from chipping and breaking.

What Causes a Tooth to Chip?

While the enamel on your teeth is relatively strong, teeth can chip for a multitude of reasons.

The impact from falling, chewing a hard piece of candy, tooth decay, or even bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding) can cause a tooth to chip.

Should You Repair a Chipped Tooth?

While a chipped tooth can seem harmless, neglecting to fix a chipped tooth can be more serious than you think.

Reasons to repair a chipped tooth include:

●    Sharp or jagged edges of a chipped tooth can cut your tongue, gums, and cheek.

●    A chip in a tooth may affect the pulp of the tooth, which can lead to infections and extreme tooth sensitivity.

●    Chips and cracks can worsen, causing the need for root canals and extractions.

●    A chipped tooth can lead to tooth decay, which can cause consistent bad breath.

Chipped Tooth Repair

If your chipped tooth requires repair, you will need to visit your local dentist. There are no do it yourself methods to permanently fixing a chipped tooth. The good news is about chipping a tooth is that fixing a minor chip is typically nonintrusive, quick, and relatively painless. Minor chips can be filed or filled with a dermal bond. However, more extensive chipping or breakage can require more in-depth dental work.

Why Choose Northlake Family Dentistry

At Northlake Dentistry, our goal is to provide the very best dental care in Northlake, Texas, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable, skilled staff are members of the local community, making your experience more comfortable and personal. Our team has been providing the best dental care to Northlake residents for years, and we look forward to serving our community for years to come.

Dr. Kevin Nguyen is dedicated to patient care, taking the time to listen to his patients individually and understand their dental concerns. If you are looking for a reputable local dentist, check out our reviews to find out why your friends and neighbors choose Northlake Dentistry.

Get Started

Ready to choose a new dentist? Give us a call and schedule your first appointment with Dr. Kevin Nguyen.