Chipped Tooth in West Lawn, Chicago, IL

People of all ages occasionally suffer from a chipped tooth. It may have been caused by a glass bottle, a sports injury, or some type of incident, but whatever the cause, it can be fixed. Smaller chips in your tooth may not be painful at all if they don’t penetrate the dentine (thick core layer) of your tooth. However, they can cause issues with chewing and turn into an unsightly flaw to your smile. Bigger chips can also cause serious dental issues. The impact may have fractured or cracked the structural integrity of your tooth, or it could have chipped away deeper into your tooth, which can cause pain and discomfort.

Either way, you’ll be happy to learn that a chipped tooth can be fixed at your dentist’s office in just one short visit. The first step is to ask your dentist about your options for repairing the chipped tooth at your next office visit. They’ll be able to see the depth and size of the chip to determine your options. They will ask you whether it’s causing any discomfort so that they know how deep and serious the chip is. If it happens to expose the pulp or deeper layer of dentine inside your tooth, the treatment plan will be slightly different than the treatment plan for just a small chip.

Treatment of Chipped Teeth in West Lawn, Chicago

A smaller chip that only caused cosmetic damage can often be filed down, especially if on the tip of one of your teeth. The filing process will take away any rough edges that could cut your tongue or make it hard to chew. Depending on the placement and size of the chip, more than one tooth may require filing for symmetry and aesthetics (for instance, if you chip the bottom corner of a front tooth, it will be filed to remove the chip, and the other may also be filed so that both front teeth are even again).

A bigger chip may require a different treatment plan, so ask your dentist. Oftentimes, repairing a chipped tooth only takes a matter of one visit. If you are suffering from a chipped tooth in West Lawn, Chicago, we can help! Schedule your appointment with Advanced Family Dental today.