How Can a Dentist Fix a Chipped Tooth?
Chipped teeth are among the most common dental issues and vary from minor damage to the enamel to more severe injuries affecting the inner components of a tooth and perhaps even a portion of the tooth becoming detached. For those who have never experienced these issues, the immediate reaction is often to ask, “Can a dentist fix a chipped tooth?”
The answer, fortunately, is yes. The choice of treatment will depend on the degree of damage, but an experienced dentist can adopt one of several suitable repair strategies. The following paragraphs will explore these options and what to expect when visiting a dental surgery to repair a damaged tooth. Let’s begin with the options for dealing with minor chips:
- Dental Bonding: This is one of the simplest and most cost-effective options for repairing a minor chip. After cleaning and slightly roughening the chipped area, the dentist will apply a tooth-coloured composite resin, shape it, and polish it until it blends with the remainder of the tooth and then expose it to a special light that hardens the resin and bonds it firmly to the tooth.
Patients undergoing this procedure will only require an anaesthetic if the chip is near a nerve, and the treatment can be completed in a single visit.
- Tooth Recontouring: This method is also suitable for treating very small chips when there appears to be no risk of further cracking. In such cases, as an alternative to bonding, the practitioner may only need to sand down the rough edges and smooth the chipped area. Like bonding, dental recontouring is a quick procedure, and patients will not require anaesthesia.
Can a Dentist Fix a Chipped Tooth When the Damage Is More Extensive?
Once again, the answer is yes. A good practice can offer up to four possible options when treating teeth that have larger and more noticeable chips:
- Dental Veneers: These are thin shells fashioned from porcelain or composite resin, custom-shaped to fit over the front surface of a tooth and coloured to match the neighbouring teeth. They offer a long-lasting solution, particularly where a front tooth is damaged. Once in place, the veneer will cover up any damage or discolouration to a tooth and protect its surface from further damage.
The practitioner must first remove a small portion of the enamel from the chipped tooth to make room for the veneer and will then take the impressions required to customise it. Once the veneer is ready, the dentist will use a strong dental adhesive to bond it securely to the surface of the chipped tooth. The treatment usually calls for two appointments: one to prepare the veneer and a second to fit it.
However, an Intercare dental clinic near you may be equipped for CEREC (Chairside Economic Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) dentistry, in which case, the veneer can be 3D printed or milled on the spot from a CAD/CAM image of the damaged area captured with an intraoral camera and fitted the same day.
- Dental Crowns: Can a dentist fix a chipped tooth when it is large enough to threaten the entire structure of the tooth and its function? A dental crown could be the answer. A crown is a cap that can be placed over the damaged tooth, typically a back molar, to restore its appearance, strength, and functionality and to protect it from becoming infected.
As with any dental restoration, the first step in the procedure is to reshape the affected tooth before fashioning the prosthesis. Next, the practitioner will take an impression or generate a 3-dimensional image using a camera for CEREC purposes. When adopting the former option, the dentist will fit a temporary crown and arrange a second appointment for the final fitting.
A dental crown can be made from porcelain, ceramic, or metal to provide a durable and aesthetic repair for a severely chipped tooth.
- Dental Inlays and Onlays: Can a dentist fix a chipped tooth when it affects the biting surface of a tooth but is not sufficiently large to justify fitting a crown? Yes, and the solution of choice is often an inlay or onlay. These are similar to veneers in that they are fashioned from porcelain or ceramic, but they are more like puzzle pieces shaped to fit the upper areas of a chipped tooth, and an onlay is designed for use on larger areas than an inlay.
The procedure is similar to that for veneers and crowns. It begins by preparing the damaged tooth, followed by taking an impression or capturing a 3D image of the affected area, creating the restoration and bonding it in place. Again, you will require two visits if your dental practitioner adopts the conventional approach.
- Root Canal Therapy: When wondering, “How can a dentist fix a chipped tooth?,” a root canal treatment might well be the answer you least wanted to hear. However, a root canal procedure is often necessary when a chip is severe enough to expose the pulp, especially if it is showing signs of infection.
The practitioner will first inject a local anaesthetic before removing any infected pulp. Next, the tooth will be cleaned and filled in preparation for fitting a dental crown. So, strictly speaking, this is not a treatment for a chipped tooth but a step that is sometimes advisable before fitting a crown.
What to Expect when Visiting an Inercare Dental Clinic
Firstly, you can expect a friendly reception and a surgery equipped with state-of-the-art dental technology. After a preliminary examination, which might include X-rays or intraoral photography to assess the damage, your Intercare dentist will explain your treatment options.
Most Intercare dental clinics are equipped to perform all the mentioned procedures, ensuring your safety and comfort throughout and advising you of any precautions that may be necessary to care for the treated tooth. Following the treatment, your dentist will arrange a follow-up appointment to assess your progress.
So, instead of sitting around and wondering, “Can a dentist fix a chipped tooth?” and perhaps suffering pain or risking an infection, why not click here and scroll down to find an Intercare dentist near you and book an appointment online to fix it?
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