What to Do if You Chip or Break a Tooth
What to do in the first few minutes, which breaks need care today, and how each kind is usually repaired.
Teeth seem to break at the worst possible time, and what you do in the first few minutes matters. Call (913) 780-0011 and tell us what happened. Your Olathe Dentist makes every effort to see dental emergencies in Olathe the same day during office hours.
First, in the Next Few Minutes
Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to clear away any pieces. If there is bleeding, press a clean piece of gauze on the spot for ten minutes without lifting it to check.
Find the broken piece and save it. Hold a cold compress on the outside of your face if the area is swollen or sore. If a sharp edge is catching your tongue or cheek, cover it with dental wax or sugar-free gum until you can be seen.
Try not to chew on that side, and take an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed if you need one.
Which Breaks Are Urgent
Not every break needs an appointment today, and knowing which is which can save you some worry.
A small chip in the enamel with no pain and no sharp edge can usually wait a few days. It is still worth scheduling, because a chipped edge tends to chip again.
A break that shows the yellowish layer under the enamel (called dentin) should be seen within a day or two. Dentin connects to the nerve, so it is often sensitive and can let bacteria in.
A break with a pink or red spot in the center has reached the pulp, and that needs to be seen right away.
A tooth broken at or below the gumline, or any break caused by a blow to the face, needs urgent care.
Why Pain Is Not a Good Guide
Many people judge how bad a break is by how much it hurts, but that can be misleading. Whether a break hurts depends on whether it reached the nerve, not on how much of the tooth is gone.
A tooth can crack straight down into the root, one of the most serious kinds of break, and feel fine until an infection shows up weeks later. On the other hand, a tiny spot of exposed dentin can be very sensitive.
So go by what the break looks like, not just how it feels.
How Each Kind Is Usually Repaired
A small chip can often be fixed with tooth-colored bonding material in one visit, sometimes without numbing. The material is shaped onto the tooth and hardened with a light.
A bigger break that leaves the tooth weak usually needs a crown, which covers the tooth and helps hold the remaining walls together.
If the break has reached the pulp, the tooth may need root canal treatment first and then a crown.
A tooth broken below the gumline often cannot be saved. In that case Dr. Tony may recommend an extraction followed by an implant or a bridge.
Why Teeth Break
Sometimes it is a true accident, like a fall or a hit to the face. More often the tooth was already weak, and one bite of popcorn or ice was the last straw.
Large old fillings are a common cause. A filling fills a hole but does not make the rest of the tooth stronger, so a tooth that is mostly filling has thin walls. Grinding is another big one, because it puts far more force on teeth than chewing does, sometimes for hours every night.
If you grind your teeth or have several large old fillings, ask at your next checkup whether any of those teeth would be safer with a crown before one of them splits.
Call (913) 780-0011 or use the contact form.
Call Before You Head Over
Tell us what broke and when. We will tell you what to do on the way in.