Although our teeth are remarkably strong, we can all become prey to a chip or crack in our lifetime. Whether it’s due to a cavity, cracking your tooth by being over zealous when chewing, or accidently hitting it in an AFL match, we understand it can be extremely painful and also concerning.
Depending on the type of fracture or crack the pain can differ, you may be able to locate the chip by feeling a foreign sharp surface in your mouth which usually shouldn’t cause too much pain. However, if you are unlucky enough to break off a large piece of your tooth you’ll find this to be quite painful. So, with the help of an experienced dentist in Bentleigh, we’ve put together a helpful guide to Dos and Don’ts when it comes to a broken tooth.
Here’s What You Can Do
Cracked or Fractured Teeth
Unfortunately, if you have cracked or fractured your tooth there isn’t really anything you can do at home. This requires a local dentist to assess the depth of damage. The reality is that a tooth may look fine to the untrained eye, but it may have damaged the nerve or blood vessels. Therefore, it is always best to seek professional advice on these things, rather than leaving it too long and the pain getting worse.
Broken Teeth
Like we mentioned earlier, a broken tooth can cause severe pain in most cases, so seeing your dentist as soon as possible is your best course of action. Although you may think the reason for the break was due to impact, there could be an underlying reason for the break, such as a cavity. Catching cavities early prevent larger procedures like root canal which from what we understand aren’t pretty.
Until you see your dentist
In the meantime when damage occurs here’s some tips on how to deal with the injury whilst you are on your way to see your dentist. It is important to follow the instructions below:
- Use warm water to rinse your mouth out.
- Apply pressure to the area for approximately ten minutes or until the bleeding stops. You can use a piece of gauze to do this.
- Once the bleeding has stopped, apply an ice pack over the area where the broken tooth has occurred. This will help to reduce any swelling and also relieve some pain.
- Depending on how quickly you can see your dentist, you can take over the counter painkillers and if needed us a temporary dental cement.
What Will Your Dentist Do
Depending on the type of fracture or break, your dentist may provide a different treatment.
Treatments could include:
Polishing the tooth
For minor cracks that are only surface level, no treatment is usually needed. However, depending on how rough the area is, your dentist may lightly polish the area to smooth out any sharp or rough areas.
Fillings or Root Canals
If you have a chipped tooth which can’t be polished out, one way to fix a chip would be to apply a filling solution to prevent it getting worse.
However, if you have a cracked tooth you may require a filling to prevent the crack from getting worse, however it there is nerve or tissue damage, you may need a root canal.
Similarly, if you have a severe break which has affected the nerve, a root canal would be the relevant treatment to remove the exposed nerve.
Removal
If your tooth has a vertical split or break that goes all the way down to the root, the most likely course of action will be to remove the tooth, as the area around the tooth can become inflamed and infected which is often extremely painful.
