Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth

Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth

Your tooth can chip, crack, or break in different ways. The damage may be minor or extensive, depending on the state of your tooth or the injury. With such severity and complexity, there is no permanent way to fix the damages without the help of your dentist at Elite Dentistry & Implant Center. Below are some of the ways your dentist can repair the problem.

Dental Filling or Bonding

Your dentist can use a filling to repair a small chip on your tooth enamel. If the chipped part is on one of your front teeth or is visible when you smile, they are likely to do bonding. It involves using filling made of composite resin that has a similar color to your natural tooth.

During bonding, your dentist will make the surface of the affected tooth rough to ensure the bonding material adheres to it. They will etch the tooth surface by using a gel or liquid. After doing so, they will apply adhesive material and add the resin to the chipped part of the tooth. They will then shape the bonding substance to look like your natural tooth. Lastly, they will cure the material using ultraviolet light.

Dental Crown 

Dental crowns comprise porcelain-like dental veneers. While you can repair the front surface of your tooth using dental veneers, a dental crown surrounds the whole tooth. When your tooth chips significantly, dental crowns are the best solution.

Your dentist will make an impression of the part that needs repair by using a putty-like material. They will then forward it to the lab for creating a crown. While the crown fabrication happens, your tooth will have a temporary crown to protect it. After several weeks, you go back to get the crown placed.

Root Canal Therapy

If your broken or chipped tooth is so damaged that it exposes its pulp, bacteria can enter it and cause an infection. If the tooth changes color, starts hurting, or becomes sensitive, the pulp is likely to have an infection or is dead. Root canal therapy involves your dentist removing the dead pulp, cleaning your root canal then sealing it.

Dental Veneers

Veneers are an option if you want to repair your chipped tooth to resemble a natural tooth. They are thin porcelain shells colored like natural teeth. Your dentist will use a special cement and apply it directly to the front surface of the affected tooth. They will begin by removing a thin layer of your tooth enamel.

They will then make an impression of the tooth and send it to the cosmetic lab to create the ideal veneer. It will be ready after two or three weeks in the lab.

Your dentist will then etch the surface of your tooth, putting cement and placing the dental veneer in the appropriate position. They will harden it using a special light.

Dental Implant 

Implants work where the affected tooth has severe cracks that leave very little of the tooth above the gumline. Your dentist would remove the affected tooth and allow time for healing before attaching the implant.

They will then insert a metal post into your gum line before placing the artificial tooth that resembles your natural tooth onto the implant. The procedure is costly and time-consuming, but its results last a long time.

For more on repairing a chipped or broken tooth, visit Elite Dentistry & Implant Center at our office in Chelsea, Alabama. You can also call 205-224-0040 to book an appointment today.