Chipped Teeth

Chipped Tooth

One of the very common dental injuries we have is the chipped tooth. In most cases, it does not cause significant pain, and there are varieties of dental procedures that can quickly treat it. A chipped tooth is not a medical emergency unless it is causing you severe pains, or affecting your sleep and eating. However, you should try and see a dentist as soon as possible.

Your enamel which is the strongest and the toughest substance in your body is found on your teeth. It is there to protect your teeth, but it has its limits.

Excessive wear and tear or a forceful blow on the teeth can overwhelm the enamel and make it chip. This, in turn, will lead to a jagged tooth surface that is tender, sharp, and disfigured.

Causes of Chipped Teeth

Your teeth can chip, and several factors can make this happen. The common causes are:

  • Grinding your teeth while you sleep
  • Playing contact sport without wearing a mouthguard
  • Car accidents and falls
  • Biting or chewing hard substances like hard candy or ice

Risk Factors for Chipped Teeth

A weak enamel or week teeth are more prone to chip than healthy teeth with strong enamel.

However, some things can weaken your teeth, and some of them are:

  • Teeth grinding when you sleep, this wears down the enamel
  • Cavities and tooth decay, they destroy the enamel
  • Large fillings weaken the teeth
  • High intake of acid-producing food such as spicy foods, coffee, and fruit juices can affect the enamel. They would break it down and expose the surface of the teeth. This increases your risks of chipping
  • Digestive problems can lead to chipped teeth. 2 common digestive problems that can cause this are heartburn and acid reflux. These conditions bring up stomach acid into your mouth and these acids damage your enamel when they come in contact with your teeth.
  • Excessive intake of alcohol leads to frequent vomiting which can also damage your enamel and increase your risk of a chipped tooth
  • Eating disorders like bulimia can also weaken your enamel because it induces frequent vomiting, which exposes your teeth to stomach acids.
  • Ageing — the process of aging also tells on the enamel. As you age, your enamel gets weak and your risk of chipped teeth increases. People who are 50 years old and above are at risks of this.
  • Excess intake of sugar and sugary foods feeds bad bacteria which destroys the enamel and increases your risks of tooth decay and chipped teeth.

Teeth That Are At Risks Of Chipping

Every weak tooth is at risk of chipping, but the tooth with the highest risk of chipping is the second lower molar. And this can be because it takes a lot of pressure when chewing.

Another is teeth with fillings; they are the most prone to chipping and then finally, intact teeth are also prone to chipping.

Symptoms of Chipped Teeth

Minor chips that are not located at the front of the mouth are difficult to diagnose. Most people might not even know they have chipped teeth if they are minor.

However, if the chip is major, they might notice some symptoms like:

  • Having pains resulting from the pressure placed on the teeth when biting. This can cause extreme pains, especially if the chip is close to the nerves of the tooth or the nerves of the tooth are exposed.
  • Irritation of your tongue which is caused by the uneven and rough edges of the chipped tooth.
  • Irritation of the gum surrounding the chipped tooth
  • Feeling a rough or jagged surface when your tongue is run over your teeth

If you suspect you might have a chipped tooth or have any of the above symptoms, do not hesitate to reach out to The Harley Street Dentists and we will diagnose whatever might be wrong and proffer a suitable treatment option.

Diagnosis of Chipped Tooth

A chipped tooth is diagnosed via the inspection of the mouth. Your dentist will also ask you about the symptoms you are experiencing and take this into account.

You will also be asked about events that caused the chipping.

How Chipped Tooth is Treated

There are many methods used in treating chipped teeth and the method used on an individual depends on symptoms, the severity, and the location of the chipped tooth. Chipped teeth are not treated as a medical emergency except it is interfering with your speech, eating, or sleeping. It is also treated as an emergency if it is causing you severe pain.

However, no matter how minor a chipped tooth seems to be, you should still see a dentist as soon as possible to avoid more damage to the tooth.

A dentist can also treat a minor chip by smoothing and polishing the affected tooth. For major chips, some of the treatment options are:

  • Tooth reattachment: If your tooth breaks and you still have the fragment, you can put it in a glass of milk to moisten it and take it to your dentist immediately. The calcium in the milk will help the teeth to stay alive, but if you don’t have milk, you can tuck it in your tongue. But you have to take a lot of care not to swallow it.

    Go to your Harley Street dentist immediately, and he/she would be able to fasten the fragment back onto your teeth.
  • Dental Onlays: If a part of your tooth was affected, your dentist might choose to use this method. This is applied to the surface of molars if it is minor, but if the chip is major, a full dental crown will be used. Anaesthesia will be given to you so that you won’t feel pain while the process is ongoing. This will also help the dentist create space for the onlay.

    In many cases, dentists take the mould of the patient’s tooth and send it to a dental lab where the onlay would be created. When the onlay gets to your dentist, it will be fixed and fastened onto your tooth. Now, with the advancement in technology we are enjoying, some dentists can create an onlay right there in their office. They will mill porcelain onlays and fix them for patients that same day.

    These dental onlays can last for decades but how long it lasts solely depends on how well you take care of it. This involves the type of food you eat mostly.

    For instance, if you eat a lot of foods that need chewing, this will put a lot of pressure on the onlay. Another factor that affects how long the onlay lasts is the tooth that was affected.

    For instance, the tooth that gets a lot of pressure when you chew (molar) will wear off easily.
  • Porcelain veneersThese veneers are made of durable materials, and they can last for 30 years. Before a veneer is attached to your teeth, your dentist will smooth away some of your enamel to create room for the veneer. This involves shaving away less than a millimetre of your enamel.

    An impression of the chipped tooth will be made and sent to the lab to create a veneer while a temporary veneer would be used in the main time. The permanent veneer will be bond to your teeth when it is ready.
  • Bonding: In this process, a plastic material (composite resin) or a layer of ceramic or porcelain is cemented to your tooth’s surface and shaped to take the form of your tooth. It is hardened using ultraviolet rays to dry the materials. More shaping is done after the drying until the material fits your tooth perfectly. This can last up to 10 years.

How to Care for Chipped Tooth

It is important you see a dentist at Harley Street, London immediately you have chipped tooth, but there are some measures you have to carry out before you see a dentist.

Below are some of them:

  • Put a temporal dental filling material such as dental wax, sugar-free gum, or teabag over the broken surface of the tooth. This will protect your gums and tongue from irritation.
  • If you are feeling pain, you can take a painkiller. But those below 18 years of age should not take ibuprofen.
  • If the chipped tooth is irritating the area, place an ice on your cheeks.
  • Don’t chew using the chipped tooth
  • Floss to remove particles of food present between your teeth. This can create more pressure on the chipped tooth when you chew.
  • If the gum around the chipped tooth is painful, you can rub clove oil on it to numb the area and relieve pain.
  • Put on a mouth guard to protect your teeth when you engage in contact sports or when you sleep at night if you grind your teeth.

Health Complications Caused by Chipped Tooth

Major chips can affect the root of your tooth. This can lead to an infection which can cause more damages. In this case, a root canal would have to be carried out.

Some symptoms of tooth infection are:

  • Swollen glands in your neck area
  • Swollen glands in your jaw area
  • A sour taste in your mouth and bad breath
  • High temperature
  • Sensitivity to cold and heat
  • Pain when eating

Once your dental procedure is completed, recovery starts, and it is usually fast.

The dentist in Harley Street London treats all kinds of chips — you can contact us on 02071830903 to book an appointment.

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