The enamel covering the teeth is the toughest, most mineralized tissue in the body. It is supposed to withstand the daily wear and tear brought about by chewing on tough foodstuff. However, just like any part of the body, the enamel also has its limits. Certain incidents, such as a fall or taking a blow to one’s face, and bad habits like chewing on ice and biting on particularly hard objects can cause the teeth to break or chip.
Chipping a tooth can be a distressing experience. In addition to the initial pain brought about by the injury, a damaged tooth can become infected and its jagged end may also end up hurting the inside of one’s mouth. Later on, these immediate concerns will be replaced by the embarrassment of having an otherwise perfect smile marred by a single broken tooth.
Depending on the extent and cause of the chipping, your dentist can recommend the following to restore your smile to its former glory.
- Dental filling
A small chip will only require a filling but if the damage is visible, your dentist may opt to do a process called bonding. Bonding requires etching on the surface of the tooth and applying adhesive and bonding material to the roughened surface. Once the mixture has been shaped to the contour of the tooth, UV light will then be used to harden the bonding material.
- Dental caps
Dental caps are preferred if a large part of the tooth has been chipped, or if the tooth has cavities. To attach a dental cap or crown, the dentist will first file away or grind the remaining part of the tooth then cover it with a tooth-shaped crown made of metal, porcelain, resin, or ceramic. It typically takes 2 visits to attach a crown. The first is dedicated to checking the roots of the tooth, making an impression of the tooth, and filing away the tooth to make space for the crown. The second visit is spent on removing the temporary crown and attaching the permanent one.
- Porcelain veneers
Considered the pinnacle of cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers can make a chipped tooth look whole again. Like dental caps, it takes 2 visits to the dentist to attach porcelain veneers. The first visit is for making an impression of the tooth, and the second is for cementing the veneer into place using special cement.
Our cosmetic dentistry clinic in Beverly Hills, California offers expert treatments to restore and upgrade your smile. For more information on how we can help you have a perfect white smile, please give us a call at 310.276.4537.
Chipped teeth are a common problem we see in our Beverly Hills office. The damage can be caused by accidents, some people grind their teeth so severely they cause breakage and others try to use their teeth as tools!
How we repair the damage depends on factors such as the size and location of the chip, which tooth is chipped and the overall oral health of the patient. Options for repairing a chip include bonding and dental veneers. For a tooth that is badly chipped or cracked a full dental crown may be needed.
If you have damaged a tooth that is easily seen when you smile, please make sure that your dentist has received extensive training in cosmetic dentistry so that your smile will be as beautiful after the restoration as it was before the repair – maybe even better!
Smaller chips can be reparied using dental bonding. During this procedure a tooth colored restoration material is bonded to the damaged surface and carefully sculpted to look just like your original tooth. The technique has some advantages but it is also subject to staining and may not last as long as a dental veneer.
Dental veneers are thin pieces of ceramic material that are created in a dental lab. They are matched to your tooth color and provide a very lifelike appearance. The dental veneers are bonded to your natural teeth and allow for the correction of chipped, discolored or misshapen teeth. A dental crown may be needed if the damage to the tooth is too severe to be corrected with the other alternatives.
If you have chipped a tooth please contact Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. David Frey at 310-276-4537 to discuss your treatment options. Please don’t delay, small chips can easily become larger, and the damage to the tooth more extensive over time.
As a Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist I have made my own list of the top 3 reasons for chipped or cracked teeth. I get to see a lot of chipped teeth and I get to hear a lot of stories about how the chip happened. Most of the time the damage to the tooth can be avoided.
- Popcorn causes a lot of damage. Biting into a popcorn kernel is like chewing on a rock – leave the unpopped kernels in the bottom of the bag. Not only can popcorn chip a tooth, it can cause serious cracks or even break a tooth.
- Chewing ice is bad for teeth. Ice is hard, cold and brittle which is a bad combination when it comes into contact with dental enamel which is also hard. If you have old silver fillings in your mouth the combination of cold and hard meeting a tooth that is structurally weak can cause a painful break.
- Oral piercings destroy teeth. Lip piercings and bad but tongue piercings are the worst. Every time you talk the barbell-like tongue stud hits the teeth. A study published in the American Journal of Dentistry showed that 14% to 41% of people with oral piercings suffered from tooth fractures and wear. The metal jewelry harbors bacteria and can lead to serious infection and tooth loss. Get something else pierced – but not your lip or tongue!
The good news is that cosmetic dentists have several ways to repair the chips, cracks and breaks in our teeth. Very tiny chips in the edge of a tooth may just need to be smoothed off and your smile won’t look any different to the average eye.
Depending upon the size of the chip and which tooth is involved we may be able to use dental bonding to restore the tooth. Dental bonding is easily done is one visit and can be used to repair chips, close spaces and reshape malformed or stained teeth.
Porcelain veneers can be used to correct more serious cosmetic damage to a tooth. If a tooth has been severely broken or cracked a dental crown may be needed to restore the tooth to full strength and use.
Your teeth can last a lifetime with proper care. The most common cause of tooth loss is not damage but gum disease. Remember to brush, floss and visit your hygienists regularly – avoid our top 3 list of damaging behaviors and never, ever use your teeth as a tool!
To repair your chipped tooth please contact Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. David Frey at 310-276-4537 to schedule your appointment.