No one is immune to the appearance of chipped teeth. They can be minor, but in some cases, quite large pieces can break off. This worsens aesthetics and reduces the functionality of the dentition. The AESTHETE dental clinic provides assistance to patients with chipped teeth.
Types of Chips
Even a small defect is a problem. A barely noticeable crack will increase over time, and pathogenic organisms will penetrate it. This will cause inflammation of the soft inner tooth tissue – the pulp, leading to a dangerous disease – pulpitis. It is accompanied by pain, and if left untreated, the tooth may be lost.
The following types of chips usually occur.
Microcrack – a barely noticeable defect on the surface of the tooth enamel. The nerve is not affected, so the patient does not experience pain. The risk of cavities increases.
Partial – a large injury that can affect the dentin and pulp. Severe damage may be accompanied by bleeding, unpleasant sensations, and discomfort. Pain occurs if the nerve is affected.
Large, with root damage. This is a longitudinal vertical damage that passes through all the tissues of the tooth: from the crown to the root. It is characterized by the impact on the pulp and exposure of the neurovascular bundle, so when the defect occurs, the person experiences severe, sharp pain.
In some cases, the wall of the tooth unit may chip off. This happens, for example, if a filling falls out or the pulp has been removed from the tooth, making it brittle.
Usually, any defects are easily noticeable. A crack or chip is visible from the outside, and the patient can see it in the mirror. If molars, which are located out of sight, are damaged, roughness and sharp edges of the damaged areas can be felt with the tongue. Also, the affected tooth will be more sensitive to temperature changes, sweet, sour, or spicy food.
Cause of the Problem
Cracks and chips often occur due to mechanical injuries – from blows or falls. This often happens to athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, but it can also happen to ordinary people, sometimes due to carelessness. Other causes that can lead to this include:
- consumption of hard foods such as candies;
- bad habits – some people like to bite their nails or pencils, open bottles with their teeth, or crack nut shells;
- neglected dental diseases – cavities soften the enamel and dentin, causing cavities;
- high acidity of saliva – can be caused by smoking, excessive consumption of sugar, salt, sweet carbonated drinks or alcohol, and also occurs due to reflux, a condition where stomach contents enter the esophagus;
- lack of minerals and vitamins – due to poor nutrition, metabolic disorders, or chronic diseases;
- malocclusion, which leads to uneven distribution of chewing load, causing some teeth to be subjected to higher loads;
- bruxism – involuntary grinding of the jaws, leading to rapid wear of the enamel;
- frequent temperature changes – for example, when consuming too hot or too cold food and drinks;
- installation of braces on teeth with weakened enamel;
- improper, insufficient oral hygiene – due to this, hard deposits accumulate on the surface of the teeth, worsening the condition of the enamel.
Chips often occur due to mechanical injuries to teeth weakened for any of the reasons listed above.
What to Do
The patient's actions depend on how serious the chip is. Upon discovering a defect, you should consult a dentist, but sometimes microdamages are detected during a preventive examination. In any case, do not hope that the problem will resolve itself. Damaged enamel does not restore naturally. Any relief or reduction in pain is likely to be temporary. Gradually, the situation will worsen, and restoring the tooth will become more difficult.
Home Care
At home, you can only relieve the condition and prevent infection. To do this, you should: rinse your mouth – you can use a chlorhexidine solution, but if it is not available, plain water will do; apply an ice pack to your cheek to reduce swelling; if there is bleeding, stop it with a turunda: a cotton or gauze swab; if you experience severe pain, take a pain reliever – if there are no contraindications for such medications; avoid hot and cold foods or drinks, refrain from eating spicy, sweet, or sour foods, and do not chew on the side with the chipped tooth. Try to save the fragment, especially if it is large. The broken piece might be useful to the dentist when considering actions to restore the tooth.
Professional Help
The dentist will assess the nature and extent of the damage and propose a solution. Depending on what happened, therapy or prosthetics will be used. If the defect is a small crack, remineralization is usually sufficient – saturating the enamel with minerals to strengthen it. For this, varnishes and gels containing fluoride and calcium are applied to the tooth surface. Additionally, the dentist may polish the damaged area. If a small piece of the tooth has broken off, artistic restoration can be done to restore the missing part using composite material. Minor defects can be masked with veneers – overlays that are applied to the entire row of teeth. For significant damage, inlays or crowns are used. If the tooth root is broken, implantation is required. In this case, the tooth is removed, a metal pin is implanted into the jawbone, and a crown is then installed on it. This restores both the aesthetics and functionality of the dentition.
Special Cases
If a piece of a child's tooth breaks off, you should quickly consult a pediatric dentist. Children's dental diseases develop faster than in adults, and they endure them more severely. For an adult patient, damage to a wisdom tooth can be a serious problem. Due to the location of these teeth, they are difficult to treat: access is limited, the root system can be branched, and the canals can be curved and impassable. Moreover, wisdom teeth quickly develop cavities, leading to pulpitis and periodontitis.
Restoration Methods
If the damage is serious, polishing and remineralization will not be enough. The dentist chooses the appropriate treatment method based on the specifics of the clinical case. They may use artistic restoration or prosthetics.
When Artistic Restoration is Used
Another name for this method is bonding. It is used for noticeable chips of medium severity. Direct restoration is the most common. In this case, the dentist restores the chipped part of the tooth using composite material, which hardens under ultraviolet light. This is the same composite material used for fillings. The dentist applies it in layers, curing each layer with a UV lamp. This restoration is called direct because the dentist restores the tooth directly in the patient's mouth. Indirect restoration is also possible. With this method, dentists use inlays and veneers. These are made in a laboratory based on impressions taken from the patient's teeth. Artistic restoration allows the damaged tooth to regain its original shape. It restores both the aesthetics and functionality of the tooth. It can withstand chewing loads and looks like a real tooth – the shade can be matched to the natural color of the patient's enamel.
Treatment for Chipped Front Teeth
When biting hard foods or due to trauma, the teeth in the front row usually suffer. Defects can range from barely noticeable microcracks to chips with root damage. The problem is that damage in this area is especially noticeable. Therefore, the doctor must pay more attention to aesthetics.
For small cracks, remineralization, strengthening the enamel with fluoride-containing preparations, is sufficient. Larger cracks can be hidden with veneers. If a chip occurs, depending on its size, the doctor may use artistic restoration or place a crown.
In the most severe cases, when the root is damaged, the tooth must be removed and replaced with a crown on a metal pin implanted into the jaw.
When restoring teeth that are visible, it makes sense to use relatively expensive materials to achieve a good aesthetic result.
Treatment for Side Chips
Molar teeth are less visible, so using premium crowns and expensive materials is not always advisable. Here, the focus can be on functionality and durability. Veneers are not used in these areas.
Problems with small and medium chips can be solved with composite materials. The restored composite fragment, hardened under ultraviolet light, can withstand chewing loads well. For more serious damage, prosthetics or possible implantation will be necessary.
Chips on "Eights"
Wisdom teeth, or "eights," do not participate in the chewing process and do not affect the aesthetics of the dentition because they are not visible. Therefore, their treatment or restoration does not make sense. If these teeth are damaged, it is better to remove them. In case of microcracks, remineralizing therapy can be performed, but the final decision is made by the doctor, considering the clinical case's specifics and the patient's individual characteristics.
Vertical Crack
A vertical crack that reaches the pulp is one of the most dangerous defects. A characteristic feature of such damage is the looseness of one half of the tooth. This is accompanied by severe discomfort and pain. Treatment in this case cannot be delayed because the destruction of tooth structures will continue, and it will be impossible to save the tooth.
The solution depends on the depth of the crack. If it is shallow, it can be filled with filling material. Deep cracks are covered with veneers. If the defect passes through all layers of tooth tissue – enamel, dentin, pulp – the tooth may need to be removed and replaced with an implant.
Treatment for Damage to Primary Teeth
Trauma to the dentition in children most often occurs during active play: a child falls, is pushed, or accidentally hit. Often parents believe that primary teeth do not need treatment because they will eventually fall out. But this does not mean that the child should not be shown to a dentist. Damage to primary teeth can cause serious abnormalities in the jaw system in the future.
Usually, when a child's tooth chips, doctors perform restoration using composite materials. This protects the dentin and pulp from microbes and helps restore the dentition's functionality.
What Happens if a Chip is Not Treated
If the problem is not addressed, complications will arise. Even a microcrack can increase over time and turn into a full-fledged crack. Pathogenic microorganisms will penetrate the tooth through it. Initially, cavities will develop, followed by more serious diseases like pulpitis. The same goes for chips – the surface becomes rough at the chipped area. Food residues accumulate on it, creating an ideal environment for bacteria causing cavities.
Negative consequences of lack of timely treatment include:
- injuries to the soft tissues of the oral cavity due to contact with sharp or rough chipped areas;
- pulp inflammation – accompanied by discomfort, severe pain, and may lead to tooth loss;
- inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the tooth root – periodontitis;
- the occurrence of cystic or granulomatous formations – if untreated, jawbone destruction may begin;
- disruption of the dental arch's closure – causes discomfort, improper distribution of chewing load, speech disturbances, and gastrointestinal tract diseases.
Prevention
Teeth should be monitored for their condition. Preventive check-ups are important, and you should visit the dentist at least twice a year so that they can timely detect defects and signs of developing diseases.
Proper oral hygiene must be maintained. Teeth should be brushed twice a day using a brush of appropriate hardness, dental floss, and mouthwash. The choice of toothpaste should be discussed with the doctor.
It is important to visit the dental clinic for professional cleaning once a year. Doctors use special equipment to remove plaque that cannot be eliminated at home.
Nutrition should be monitored. Sweets, carbonated drinks, alcohol, overly salty, acidic, and spicy foods are harmful to teeth. Their consumption should be limited, and more foods rich in calcium, vitamin D3, and dietary fiber should be included in the diet. You can discuss taking vitamin-mineral complexes with your doctor.
Bad habits should be abandoned. Teeth should not be used for purposes other than chewing. For example, stop biting nails or opening bottles with your teeth.
Dental diseases and bite pathologies should be treated promptly. If you notice unpleasant symptoms, do not delay visiting the doctor, consult them as soon as possible to solve the problem with less effort and time.
The AESTHETE dental clinic is located in Dubai (UAE), Bluewaters Island. Our doctors will help restore a tooth that has chipped. We use effective restoration methods to restore the aesthetics and functionality of the dentition.
The price of services is listed on the website. If you want to clarify this information or ask questions, contact the clinic administrators. They will provide additional consultations, explain how to schedule an appointment with the dentist, and help you choose a convenient time for the visit.
Questions and Answers
What happens if you swallow a piece of a tooth?
There is nothing to worry about in this case. Even if the fragment has sharp edges, they will be smoothed out by stomach acid and will not harm the internal organs. The piece will pass through the body naturally within three days.
What should you do if a child's tooth chips?
You should take the child to a pediatric dentist as soon as possible. Before that, you should: ask the child to rinse their mouth with water; inspect their oral cavity to assess the nature of the injury and check for bleeding; apply a cold compress if there is swelling; give a usual pain reliever if the child is in severe pain. If possible, keep the chipped piece in slightly salted water or milk.
What is lacking in the body if teeth are crumbling?
A lack of vitamins and minerals is not the only issue that can cause chipping, but it does weaken the teeth and increase the likelihood of chips and cracks. Deficiencies in vitamins B, C, D, phosphorus, calcium, and fluoride are especially dangerous. To address the problem, it is important to eat a balanced diet and take special vitamin and mineral complexes. It is best to discuss their selection with a doctor.
