Dental procedures to repair a broken tooth

Our teeth are covered by a hard covering called Enamel. It is the hardest and most mineralized tissues in our body. Inspite of the sturdy outer covering, the teeth are vulnerable to chip, crack or even broken. Such fractured tooth leaves the sufferer with distinct discomfort levels and affects the smile aesthetics.

Broken tooth occurs when our teeth encounter an abnormal pressure or hit while biting a hard particle, falling down and due to other mundane accidents. Besides injuries, broken tooth occurs followed by teeth weakening due to decay, bruxism and other nutrition deficiencies.

With the advancement in Dentistry, restoring a broken tooth is possible as well as missing teeth replacement. Here are the dental solutions available to restore fractured (broken) teeth given by our Specialist Dentists in Dubai.

How does a Dentist revamp a chipped tooth?

Dental fillings, Tooth Crowns, Porcelain Veneers and Root Canal Treatment are the dental restoration options utilized to restore a chipped tooth.

Depending on the depth of the damage, a Dental Doctor chooses the appropriate restoration option.

Craze lines – It is just a minor crack on the tooth enamel. Such minor cracks do not require treatment. If you feel rough on the tooth surface, then visit your Dentist. Dentists treat the crazy lines by polishing the damaged region to extract the rough spots.

Chip – Minor cracks do not require restoration works. It rarely needs dental treatments. However, it is better to visit a Dentist for chipped teeth. This is because chipped teeth require little repairing works like polishing the chipped region to make it smooth.

Cracked tooth – A crack or fracture occurred in a tooth requires immediate treatments. This is because the crack remains in its place but develops to reach the end of the tooth root. Hence it is better to cement the crack with bonding materials and fillings. In certain cases, cracked teeth require dental crowns for restorations.

Split tooth – Back molar teeth have higher chances of split vertically. As there are two roots for a molar tooth, Root Canal Treatment is mandatory to extract the damaged root and to preserve the other. Then a tooth crown is mounted on the split tooth to restore its natural appearance.

Serious breaks – If the injury is quite deep and it exposes the inner dentin and tooth nerves, then Endodontic treatment (Root Canal Therapy) is essential to preserve the tooth. It is followed by placing a dental crown on the damaged tooth.

Split root – In this case, the crack begins in the root of a tooth and develop upwards towards the chewing surface. It is quite difficult to preserve a tooth with split root as it is infected in the root surface. Hence a Dentist will remove or extract the tooth to prevent infection.

Tooth broke by cavities – When the tooth decay becomes worse, it is followed by a crack in the tooth. Restoration options are chosen as per the seriousness of decay obtained by the Dentist. In certain cases, prevention is not possible and tooth extraction is required for such decay induced breaks.

Tips to care for broken tooth before visiting a Dentist

Home remedies for chipped tooth are not effective as treatments provided at a dental office. But they are essential to keep the chipped tooth until you get oral care treatments.

• Put the chipped portion of the tooth in a cup of water or milk. You should keep the humidity of the tooth until it is bonded. 

• Rinse your mouth with the salt water solution to prevent infection.

• Cover the sharp edges of the cracked tooth with dental wax or (sugarless) chewing gums. This is because the sharp edges may hurt the cheep, lip and other surrounding soft tissues.

• If there is any bleeding, then apply pressure with a piece of a soft cloth or bandage for few minutes. This will help to minimize the bleeding.

• Apply ice cubes or ice packs on the cheek over the chipped tooth side in order to reduce swelling.

• If the ice pack does not help to relieve the pain, then use over-the-counter medications like Tylenol.

Conclusion

No one can treat or restore a fractured tooth without visiting a Dental Clinic. We suggest you apply the tips for pain relief but visit your Dentist immediately when you encounter any unexpected accident that leaves you with a chipped, cracked or broken tooth.