What Are Broken or Chipped Teeth?

A broken tooth typically means the crack begins at the gum line, splitting the tooth into two pieces. A chipped tooth has a piece broken off, creating a jagged edge and space. While broken and chipped teeth are aesthetically displeasing, the true danger lies in the exposed edges and crevices that can cause pain or discomfort by rubbing against the soft tissues (like the tongue or cheeks), and potential decay if left unaddressed.

What Do Broken and Chipped Teeth Look Like?

A chipped or broken tooth can be quite obvious to the naked eye, with a piece missing creating a jagged edge, hole, or dark space where the piece was. They can also feel loose in the mouth causing considerable pain that requires immediate attention by a dentist.

How Do Broken or Chipped Teeth Occur?

Ever bitten down on an olive pit accidentally left on a pizza? Forgot your mouthguard and received contact to the face during sporting activities? There are several reasons why a tooth can chip or break, the important thing is to get to a dentist as soon as possible for the best treatment advice and solution to prevent any further deterioration or propagation of the crack or chip.

What Do Broken or Chipped Teeth Look After Treatment?

The treatment options open to people with chipped or broken teeth vary from case to case. Every treatment plan is bespoke and thus outcomes are truly individual and vary.

One option for a minor chip may be some composite bonding or the provision of composite or porcelain veneers for teeth more heavily worn or chipped to get a more balanced overall appearance that lasts.

Veneers can make teeth look straighter, longer, shorter, and more uniform. They can mask discolorations, correct uneven tooth alignment, repair chips, cracks, breaks, and close gaps. They can make square teeth appear more rounded, or pointed canine teeth appear flatter. Essentially, you can have the most symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing smile you desire.

In more extensive cases where the tooth has broken a dental crown may be advised or in the worst-case scenario there may be no other option than to extract the tooth. After extraction (again each case can vary), the treatment options can vary from leaving things as they are, to a dental bridge or the gold standard dental implant to replace the now missing tooth.

How Can You Improve Your Broken or Chipped Teeth?

Dental veneers are a great option for people who don’t have severe problems with their bite or underlying decay but have discoloured or misshapen teeth.

Dental veneers are ultra-thin, custom-made pieces of porcelain cemented over the front of your teeth to change their colour or shape and improve their appearance. Because they’re so thin (often less than 1 millimetre thick), veneers require very little tooth preparation. This means that for people with healthy teeth, who have no decay or tooth problems, porcelain veneers may be a good option. The shells are bonded to the front of the teeth to create a beautiful and attractive smile.

Composite bonding is another popular treatment option for those people looking to fine-tune their smiles that have very minor chips and sharp edges.

The Good Dentist Recommends Individual Assessment

Broken or chipped teeth are unique to the individual and therefore require a unique treatment plan. The Good Dentist recommends booking an appointment with us so we can assess your specific situation and provide the very best level of care for your circumstances.

For chipped or broken teeth the treatment options can vary from:

Please contact The Good Dentist as we specialise in broken and chipped teeth restoration. You deserve to smile with confidence.