What Can Fix a Broken Tooth?

If you have a broken tooth, it may be a medical emergency. Even if it’s not a medical emergency, it still needs to be fixed. Minor chips and cracks can even become big problems if left untreated.

What to do depends on how you broke the tooth, its location, and its overall condition. The providers at Whole Body Dental in Bellevue, Washington, explain more about what to do if you break a tooth and how we can help fix it with restorative dentistry.

How you can break a tooth

Maybe you’re crunching down on a piece of ice or chewing on a pen cap distractedly when suddenly you feel a bit of your tooth break off. Or maybe you were chewing normal food as usual and it still broke anyway. 

Some of the ways you can break a tooth also include trauma and accidents. If your tooth has fallen out, put it in milk if possible and get to an emergency room as soon as you can.

How to deal with a broken tooth

If your tooth is broken, you may feel a bit of pain or discomfort until we can get you in to see one of our doctors.

You can use over-the-counter pain relievers if necessary. If you prefer a more natural approach, you can try a bit of clove oil to numb your gums. You may wish to eat soft foods if eating is painful.

Ways we fix a broken tooth

The answer to this question depends on how much of your tooth has broken off. Restorative dentistry offers several options to fix your tooth. Some of these include the following:

Custom inlays and onlays

These inlays or onlays are made to custom-match your natural teeth. These are made of composite materials and are bonded to the top of your teeth. Although you can still crack or chip the bonding, it can last for quite a while, especially if you take good care of your teeth.

Crowns 

You can get a dental crown if your damage is more extensive. Dental crowns are made of durable materials such as zirconia. You can’t tell the difference by sight if a tooth is natural or a crown.

Dental implants

Getting dental implants is often the best choice because they last the longest. First, we check to make sure your jaw has enough bone that a titanium post can fuse to it. If it does, we put the post in and wait for several months for your jawbone to anchor the post. 

During that time, we put a temporary crown over the top of the post, then a permanent one after that. The crown looks and functions just like a natural tooth.

We can decide together what will be the most cost-effective and natural-looking replacement for a broken tooth. If you have chipped or broken a tooth, make a consultation with us. Contact the providers at Whole Body Dental or request an appointment online.