How Your Dentist Can Fix a Broken Tooth

Each of us invests daily in having a healthy looking smile. We do this from a very young age, brushing our teeth and flossing between them. You also go to the dentist regularly for exams and cleanings. Sometimes all of this effort seems quickly lost when you break, crack or chip a tooth. But instead of feeling panicked over a damaged smile, take a moment to learn how your dentist can fix a broken tooth and keep your smile looking its best.

Don’t Panic When You Break a Tooth

The main thing to remember when you suffer oral trauma is that your dentist can fix a broken tooth. In fact, only you and your dental professionals will need to know it ever suffered this damage. Because of modern technology and the treatments available through today’s dentistry, even big dental problems have solutions. For an injured tooth, emergency dentistry or a regular office visit is the first step to rebuilding your smile.

No longer does anyone have to suffer lost confidence to a damaged smile. Whether you break a tooth while eating hard candy, trying to open a bottle with your teeth, playing sports, chewing on an ice cube, falling or because of a cavity, your dentist can help.

If you break, chip or crack a tooth in Raleigh or Goldsboro, North Carolina, you only need to call Carolina Dental Arts for immediate advice and help. The dentist may need to see you right away, such as for an exposed nerve or other traumatic damage, you can do so as part of an emergency dentistry visit. If your tooth repair can wait another day or so before treatment, you can set an appointment to get into the dental chair as soon as possible. Either way, you will be smiling your best again in no time.

Options to Fix a Broken Tooth

Your dentist has multiple options to fix a broken tooth. Which option suits your needs depends on the type of injury and outcome of your dental exam. But some of the ways your dentist can fix a broken tooth include:

• Crown
  A crown is an excellent solution for holding a damaged tooth together and making it stronger, such as for a broken tooth. Crowns are thicker than veneers. They restore the shape and appearance of your tooth by capping it with a shell of porcelain, metal or ceramic.
• Veneer
  Like a crown, a veneer restores the appearance of your tooth. But instead of capping the entire tooth, a veneer only covers the visible surface. This porcelain or composite resin shell cosmetically improves your smile and protects the injured tooth from further damage.
• Dental implant
  Dental implants involve removing what remains of an injured or broken tooth. Then, your dentist replaces that missing tooth with a permanently implanted restoration. This process takes a longer period of time than some other types of broken tooth restorations, but lasts a lifetime.
• Bonding
  Bonding saves many teeth in many ways. This process involves little time, cost or complication and immediately restores a damaged tooth to a normal, healthy appearance. Your dentist can fix a broken tooth by applying composite tooth-colored material directly onto it, then sculpting and shaping the material for a natural appearance. With the help of a blue light, the material hardens and provides many years of durability.
• Root canal
  Sometimes broken or cracked teeth lead to infection in the tooth pulp. If you suffer this infection, a root canal removes the infected pulp from the center of the tooth. By placing a crown over the tooth, you can again eat, talk and smile as you did before your injury.
• Filling
  If your broken or cracked tooth suffered a cavity, your dentist uses filling material to restore it. This very safe and inexpensive procedure keeps your smile intact and gets you back into your daily routine within minutes.
• Dental sealant
  If you suffer a cracked and infected tooth, a dental sealant can help. This treatment provides a barrier between your tooth and bacteria that causes cavities. It works well for molars and premolars, on the back sides of these teeth.

Is a broken tooth a dental emergency?

A broken, cracked or chipped tooth can be a dental emergency. But not all damaged teeth must undergo treatment right away. For some, however, it is urgent that your dentist sees you to have a chance to fix a broken tooth and avoid further damage to your smile or bite. Instead of debating whether you face a legitimate dental emergency, simply call your dentist’s office at Carolina Dental Arts in Raleigh or Goldsboro.

With three locations to serve you, you can conveniently and quickly get into the dentist’s office at Carolina Dental Arts when necessary. If the dentist determines they do not need to see you right away, you can schedule an office visit for the next business day. To get the help you need to fix a broken tooth, call 919-670-4944 for the Glenwood South office in Raleigh, 984-242-0568 for the New Bern Avenue office in Raleigh, or 919-778-0098 for the office on Graves Avenue in Goldsboro.