Options for Fixing a Chipped Tooth

Dental procedures in Asheville can whiten your teeth to dazzling perfection. Your dentist can fill your cavities and eliminate any decay. But a chipped tooth can ruin your smile, too. And if one of your molars in the back of your mouth is chipped or cracked, the pain you’ll feel from temperature changes and food can wipe out your smile. Let’s face it: a chipped tooth can be a nightmare.

Or it can be a good reason to go see your dentist. Only an experienced dentist can help fix your chipped tooth so it disappears from your smile. And you’re in luck, because Zöe Dental does cosmetic dentistry as well as regular dental procedures in Asheville.

What Did You Do?

Just as you have different kinds of teeth in your mouth, from molars to incisors, you can have different types of chips and cracks. The type of solution that’s right for you depends on the type of damage to your tooth (or teeth).

• A chipped tooth occurs when the surface of a tooth chips off. It happens where one tooth meets another or, where front teeth are concerned, where the very top edge is damaged. The good news is that a chipped tooth rarely causes any pain. The bad news is that if you don’t feel it, you may not treat it.
• A cracked tooth has a vertical fracture that extends toward your nerve. If you don’t fix it, it will get worse over time. If you don’t catch it soon enough, you may lose the whole tooth.
• A split tooth is a cracked tooth that wasn’t treated. The crack has reached your nerve and the tooth causes a lot of pain. If you have a split tooth, chances are it will have to come out.
• A root fracture starts near your nerve, inside your tooth. You may not even know you have a root fracture, although dental procedures in Asheville can detect it.

What Can You Do?

If you have a chipped or cracked tooth, dental procedures in Asheville can provide solutions. Consult with your dentist to determine the best course of action. It also helps to get your chipped tooth examined as soon as possible. If you wait too long, your Asheville dentist may not be able to save your tooth.

• Composite bonding uses a putty-type substance that hardens like enamel. Because it starts as putty, your dentist can mold it to your chipped tooth, making the tooth look and feel new again.
• Tooth crowns cap a tooth that’s badly damaged but salvageable. Made from a mold of your tooth, it’s cemented in place to protect the rest of your tooth.
• To save the tooth, you may need a root canal. This process removes the nerve from your tooth while maintaining the rest of the tooth. The cavity is then filled in, and your tooth may then be capped.
• Porcelain veneers cover the front of a tooth with a ”false front” that’s cemented to the front of your tooth. This process is useful if one tooth is permanently discolored.
• A dental implant is an imitation tooth placed in your mouth to replace one that had to be pulled. Implants look very real and can supplement those empty spaces, but as dental procedures in Asheville go, it’s a last stop. It’s always better to save the tooth whenever possible.

—Dr. Perry Stamatiades