Fixing a chipped tooth

It’s more common than you might think – you’re eating a frozen candy bar or chewing on the ice cubes left in your soft drink when suddenly your teeth meet too much resistance and they chip or break. While there’s no need to panic – a chipped tooth is usually easily remedied – you won’t want to delay a visit to your dentist, either. They can determine what measures might be required to fix the chip, like a filling, bonding, crown, root canal, or veneer.

Is there a simple fix?

Fillings and bonding are the simplest and most cost-effective ways to fix a chipped tooth. If this is what your chipped tooth requires, your dentist will use a composite resin to simply fill in the part of your tooth that has been chipped away. Before they can adhere the new material to the tooth, they’ll apply a liquid or gel to the surface of the tooth that will help the adhesive material stick to it, and then then they’ll add an adhesive material followed by the composite resin that fills in the chip. The resin material itself is highly malleable and can be shaped to precisely the size and shape that your dentist needs. Once it is in place and shaped, an ultraviolet light will be used to harden the material until it looks and feels just like the part of your tooth that you lost. In addition to being a simple and painless procedure, it is also the most cost-effective, generally costing between $100 and $500 for this form of tooth repair.

If you’ve lost more of a chunk than a chip of your tooth, your dentist may choose to fix the damage with a dental cap or crown instead of a filling or bonding. In this case, your dentist will work to preserve the remaining structure of your tooth and then cover it with what’s called a crown, a composite material that, like a filling, can be shaped and hardened to feel much like the missing part of your tooth while also preventing further damage. If the damage is extensive and an infection has taken hold, your dentist may need to perform a root canal first, during which they treat the infection and remove any compromised tissue before placing the crown. Both of these procedures are more involved and therefore more extensive than the others mentioned thus far; while a root canal might cost between $500-$1000, depending on the extent of the damage done and the location of the tooth, crowns might cost anywhere between $250 and $2000, depending on the type of tooth and material used.

What if the chip can’t be remedied with fillings, bonding, or a crown?

One last option for fixing damaged teeth is dental veneers. Veneers are a thin shell custom-made from porcelain or a composite material that is placed over the damaged tooth and adhered with dental cement. This is a more expensive procedure, costing between $900-$2500 per tooth.

What can I do while I wait for my appointment?

If you have a chipped tooth that needs attention, call your dentist office right away so that you can get it taken care of quickly and easily. In the meantime, it’s perfectly fine to take some ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or any other over-the-counter pain medication as directed to experiencing lessen any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing while you wait for your appointment. You might also consider doing twice daily saltwater rinses to ward off infection, and even covering any sharp pieces of broken enamel with a small piece of gum or wax to avoid cutting your tongue on the chipped tooth. There is also a product called Dentemp that you can use to provide the double benefit of pain relief and temporary treatment of chips, lost fillings, and dislodged crowns until your dentist is able to see you. While you’re waiting, opt for more smoothies and less frozen candy bars – your chipped tooth will thank you for it!

More on Fixing Teeth : Fix Cracked Teeth