How to Handle a Broken Tooth in Ferndale MI with Our Tips, Tricks and Team
Whether you’re enjoying one of your favorite hard candies or indulging in a bad habit like chewing ice or biting your nails, you’re at risk of a cracked, chipped or broken tooth. It’s a shocking moment when you realize that there’s a piece of broken tooth in your mouth, potentially causing you to panic about what to do next. Thankfully, we’re here to help you prepare your next steps and the best ways to treat a broken tooth in Ferndale.
What Causes a Tooth to Break or Chip?
The visible surface of your teeth known as the enamel is the hardest and most mineralized tissue in your body. Unfortunately, it does succumb to stress and has its own limits. Over time, the foods and drinks that come in contact with your food on a daily basis weaken your enamel, which is why we brush and floss our teeth twice a day, every day – the ingredients of toothpaste strengthen your enamel to ensure it is long-lasting and stable. With unforeseen circumstances like falling, receiving an impact blow to the face, or biting down on something too hard, your teeth can easily chip or break.
Thankfully, with the help of our professionals like Dr. Harlow, we’re able to solve a broken tooth in Ferndale, MI with ease.
Services to Repair a Chipped or Broken Tooth
For treatment on a broken or chipped tooth, it is all dependent on how severe the damage really is. If it’s only a small piece, a repair can typically be completed in just one simple visit. However, if there is extensive damage or broken parts of the tooth, this may require a far lengthier procedure to protect not only the damaged tooth, but the teeth surrounding it. A damaged tooth that is left without proper treatment will harm your overall oral health faster than you may realize, which is why we stress the importance of addressing these issues as soon as possible.
If there is only minimal damage to the tooth, like a small piece has chipped off, the best option may be repairing the damage with a filling. Fillings are commonly utilized for replacing tooth structure after a cavity has been cleaned. If the repair is to a front tooth or is noticeable when you smile or speak, dental bonding is typically the best choice. We will utilize a tooth-colored composite resin, so it’ll blend in with your surrounding smile and look no different than the rest.
To bond a tooth, we will etch the surface of the tooth with a gel to roughen it to make the bonding material stick or “bond” to the area. We will then apply an adhesive material to the tooth, followed by the tooth colored resin in place. We will shape the bonding material to look natural against your smile and then use an ultraviolet light to harden the material and keep it stable.
If a larger piece of tooth is chipped, cracked, or has broken off, it’s at a much higher risk for decay, infection, and potentially tooth loss. Thankfully, with the help of a dental crown, our team will completely protect your smile. During your first visit, we will be taking x-rays to check the root of the tooth and surrounding bone to ensure there are no further problems. If no problems are detected, we will numb the area and start working on reshaping the tooth to properly fit the crown. After, a mold of the tooth will be made as an impression that will be sent off to our dental lab to create your custom crown. In the meantime, you’ll be fitted with a temporary crown until your next appointment, when your permanent crown is cemented in place.
If you’ve experienced a broken tooth in Ferndale MI or want to be prepared in case of an incident, don’t hesitate to give Ferndale Dental a call at (248) 545-6400 to learn more or schedule an appointment with our team today.
