What To Do After You Chipped Your Tooth
At Janz Family Dental, as emergency dentist for Edmonton, we offer complete dental services for the entire family in a warm and friendly environment.
According to the Alberta Dental Association and College, dental emergencies include knocked out teeth, a tooth ache, bitten tongue or lip, objects caught between teeth, and a chipped or broken tooth. Teeth are remarkably strong, but they can chip, crack/fracture or break in several ways:
- Biting down on a hard object or food, such as a hard candy or a bone;
- Being hit in the face or mouth from a sports injury or accident;
- Falling and hitting your mouth;
- Having cavities that weaken the tooth; and
- Having large, old amalgam fillings that don’t support the remaining enamel of the tooth.
There is no way to treat a cracked tooth at home. If your tooth is broken, chipped, or fractured, see your dentist as soon as possible to prevent further damaged or infection, possibly causing you to lose your tooth. Pain from a broken or cracked tooth may be constant or may come and go. Many people feel pain when they chew because chewing puts pressure on the tooth. Until you can see your Janz Family Dental emergency dentist, try the following self-care measures:
- Rinse your mouth with salt water.
- If there is any bleeding in your mouth as a result of a chipped tooth, use a piece of gauze to apply pressure to the area
- If the tooth is painful, take acetaminophen or another over-the-counter pain reliever.
- If the break has caused a sharp or jagged edge, cover it with a piece of wax paraffin or sugarless chewing gum to keep it from cutting your tongue or the inside of your lip or cheek.
- If you must eat, eat soft foods and avoid biting down on the broken tooth.
Treatment options of a chipped tooth vary depends on the size and severity of the injury:
- Small chip: your dental professional might simply smooth and polish the chipped tooth, and no additional treatment will be needed.
- Medium chip: If your chipped tooth involves minor damage to the tooth enamel, your Janz Family Dental dental professional may place a filling, crown, or cap over the chipped tooth to restore its normal appearance and function, and to protect the inner layers of the teeth from irritation and infection.
- Large chip: If the chip is large enough to expose the tooth nerve, you will likely need a root canal to remove the damaged nerve, plus a crown or cap to replace the tooth.
After treatment for a chipped tooth, it is important to maintain a regular oral care routine that includes twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing as well as routine visits to your Janz Family Dental dental professionals.
If you have questions about our 24-hour emergency dental services in Edmonton, or about any of our professional dental services, call the Janz Family Dental at 780-484-8573 today to schedule your whole family a check-ups and cleaning appointment.
