Most patients visit their dentist when they feel pain. Most of the time, non-painful dental issues like a chipped tooth are ignored. If you chipped your tooth and leave it untreated, it’s only a matter of time before it can cause another dental problem.
In this post, we will share the risks of leaving your chipped tooth untreated. As a trusted dentist in Florissant, Soft Touch Dental aims to remind our community about the value of addressing small dental issues before it’s too late.
Common causes of a chipped tooth
Our tooth enamel is strong enough to handle a biting force of 70 lbs whenever we chew. However, our teeth can still break or chip due to injury, poor oral hygiene, or trauma. The common causes of a chipped tooth are as follows:
- Bad bite
- Trauma
- Thinning of tooth enamel due to poor oral hygiene
- Tooth decay
- Bruxism or teeth grinding
The risks of ignoring a chipped tooth
While it’s not always painful to have chipped teeth, ignoring it puts you at risk for the following:
- Increased tooth sensitivity: Your chipped tooth becomes more sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. It happens when the damage has reached the dentin or the inner layer of your tooth.
- Increases your risk for tooth decay and tooth infection: The damage on your tooth can create small pockets of space where the bacteria can thrive. When plaque forms on the nooks and crannies of your chipped tooth, it will be easier for the bacteria to attack your dentin and cause pain and infection.
- Can cause cuts in your mouth: A chipped tooth caused by trauma or a bad bite can leave sharp edges on your tooth. These sharp edges can cut the soft tissues in your mouth every time you speak or chew. If left untreated, the cuts can be infected and start another dental condition.
- Chewing difficulty: A chipped front tooth will make it hard for you to bite your food. On the other hand, a chipped molar can impair your ability to grind food properly. The food residue will also keep sticking to the chipped area of your molar which can make chewing uncomfortable.
Treatments for a chipped tooth
Address your chipped tooth as soon as possible to keep expensive dental treatments at bay. Dental treatments for your chipped tooth depend on the size and depth of the damage. The treatments for a chipped tooth are as follows:
- Dental bonding: In cases where you were able to keep the chipped part of your tooth. Your dentist can put the tooth fragment back in its place with a dental bond. Moisten the tooth fragment by putting it in a glass of milk. Otherwise, it will no longer be viable for dental bonding due to excessive dryness.
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- Dental Filling: Your dentist will apply a tooth-colored resin on your chipped tooth to restore its shape and protect the inner layers of your tooth. It is a common treatment for a minor chip or a crack in the tooth.
- Root Canal: If the chip reaches the inner layer of your tooth, the tooth root can be damaged. With a root canal, your dentist will replace the damaged tooth root with a post to fill the space in the tooth. The filling will restore the shape of your chipped tooth.
- Crowns: If your chipped tooth is also stained and weak due to tooth enamel damage, you can protect and cover all your tooth impurities with a dental crown. It is a tooth-shaped cap placed over a weak and damaged tooth.
Soft Touch Dental can help treat your chipped tooth with our restorative treatments in Florissant. Deal with your dental issues while it’s small and less expensive to treat by scheduling an appointment now.