What to Do if You Chip a Tooth

If you have just chipped a tooth, don’t panic! There are treatment options to ease your discomfort and restore the look and function of your smile.

However, you must contact your emergency dentist at Bloor West Smiles immediately. Since severely chipped teeth can become infected or break entirely, prompt professional treatment is essential.

Chipped Tooth: Immediate Steps to Take

First and foremost, you should remain calm and assess the damage. Chipping a tooth is alarming and often painful. Medium to large chips and fractures can also result in bleeding and swelling.

If you have chipped a tooth, follow these steps to minimize damage and reduce pain before visiting your emergency dentist at Bloor West Smiles:

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water: It rinses away blood and potential irritants while also soothing your pain. Use warm salt water, since the chipped tooth may be sensitive to hot and cold.
Stop the bleeding: Apply gentle pressure to the tooth with a piece of clean gauze for 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Rinse and apply new gauze as needed.
Reduce swelling: An ice pack or cold compress, applied to the part of your face closest to the chipped tooth, will help reduce swelling.
Pain relief: If the chipped tooth is causing pain, take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or another over-the-counter pain reliever. Do not take aspirin since this will make you bleed more and prevent clotting.
Protect your teeth, tongue, and cheeks: Chipped teeth can leave behind jagged edges that can cut your tongue, gums, and cheeks, causing more pain and damage. It’s also easy to worsen the damage done to your chipped tooth.

Therefore, protecting your mouth is essential until you can see a dentist. If you have dental cement or wax on hand, use it to coat the sharp edges of the chip. You can also cover the edge with sugarless chewing gum or paraffin wax if dental cement is unavailable.
If possible, keep the chip: In some cases, the dentist can reattach chips to the tooth. Consequently, we recommend preserving the chip in milk or saliva whenever possible. Do not place it in water since this can cause the tooth fragment to dry out.

Additional treatment options are available, so there is no reason for alarm if you cannot locate the chip.
Avoid eating: You should avoid eating if you can. Your tooth is exceptionally fragile right now. If you bite down on the tooth, you can worsen the chip or break it entirely.

If you cannot avoid eating, only consume soft foods, and chew on the side of your mouth opposite the chip. Do not bite or chew with your broken tooth.

Contact Your Emergency Dentist

You must visit your dentist as soon as possible. Chipped teeth constitute a dental emergency. You must treat them quickly to prevent further damage. The longer you wait to have the tooth examined and repaired, the higher the risk of infection or damage.

Several treatment options are available, depending on how extensive and severe the damage is. Your dentist will evaluate the damage and recommend the best procedure for your unique case.

Are you experiencing a dental emergency, such as a chipped or broken tooth? Call Bloor West Smiles immediately at 416-766-2853.

Treatment Options for Chipped Teeth

There are several ways to treat a chipped or broken tooth. Your dentist will examine the chip’s severity or break and determine the best repair method. Whereas bonding is the most common repair method for small chips, severely damaged teeth may need extraction.

Let’s take a closer look at the various treatment options available at Bloor West Smiles:

Bonding

Dental bonding can treat minor/uncomplicated chips. This treatment involves applying a small amount of tooth-coloured composite resin to the damaged tooth.

Your dentist removes the remaining tooth enamel to affix the resin properly. The composite material is then bonded to the tooth using ultraviolet light, creating a natural-looking protective barrier. Typically, bonding lasts for ten years.

Crown or Cap

Alternatively, you can place a dental crown/cap over the tooth. These are commonly made from porcelain and cover the entirety of the damaged tooth. Dental crowns are considered the best method for severely cracked teeth where much of the original tooth is lost.

They protect your tooth from breaking down and restore function so you can chew and talk.

Veneers

With veneers, a thin layer of custom-created porcelain or composite resin bonds to the front of your teeth.

Since the material is tooth-coloured, veneers look incredibly natural. They’re a great way to restore the aesthetics of your smile while also treating a chipped or damaged tooth.

Contouring or Shaping

Dentists use enamel shaping or contouring to address small chips. Your dentist uses a small rotating instrument (called a burr) to reshape the chipped tooth. The procedure is for damaged front teeth. It’s quick, relatively painless, and rarely requires anesthetic.

Fillings

Dental fillings repair chipped molars or back teeth that are not very visible. Modern fillings come in a variety of materials, including metal and porcelain.

Tooth Extraction

Tooth extractions are always a last resort. Whenever possible, your dentist will try to save the tooth. However, severely chipped, fractured, or broken teeth can be unsolvable.

If the chip has spread below the surface of your gums, you will likely require an extraction.

Root Canal

Root canals treat infection within the tooth. Infection can occur if the chip or fracture penetrates the dentin (the soft pulp inside your tooth). It is painful and requires urgent attention. A root canal alleviates your pain while also preserving the natural tooth.

The dentist will repair the chip with a cap.

Your Local Emergency Dentist: Bloor West Smiles in Toronto

You need an experienced, attentive, and local dental team in your time of need. Bloor West Smiles is ready to help. We are a trusted emergency dental office in Toronto, equipped to handle a variety of dental emergencies.

Our emergency dentists provide same-day appointments and immediate care for chipped, broken, or knocked-out teeth. You can contact our compassionate and understanding office anytime.

Whatever your dental emergency is, call us now: 416-766-2853

For emergency dental care in Toronto, call Bloor West Smiles at 416-766-2853 or contact us here.