How Do You Fix a Chipped Tooth?

Cracked or chipped tooth, or severe toothaches, require the expertise of an emergency dentist. At Dental Express in San Diego, CA, we can provide urgent dental care when our patients need us most. We can treat your dental problem quickly to relieve pain or discomfort. While some instances can wait until regular office hours, many situations warrant the need for around-the-clock care.

When you suspect that you need emergency dental care, don’t hesitate to call our office. If you are in pain, immediate treatment, which is usually quick and easy, will help. Leaving a chip untreated can lead to increased pain or infection, and heighten the need for more serious and costly procedures, like extractions. If you are not experiencing intense pain, you probably don’t require our emergency dental services. Just avoid chewing on the tooth until you can get to our office.

How does a dentist fix a chipped tooth?

Regardless of whether or not there is pain associated with teeth chipping, it should be treated as soon as possible. At Dental Express in San Diego, CA, we perform comprehensive dental exams to assess the damage from the chip. From there, we can determine the best treatment option for your oral health. This will aim to restore your smile.

To choose the best treatment choice for you during emergency dental care, our emergency dentist will use x-rays to evaluate and diagnose the problem accurately. Once we understand the extent of your emergency, we can discuss which treatment options are available to you.

Emergency dental care treatment options

Depending on the size of the chip and your existing oral health, our professional team may recommend one of the following:

1. Cosmetic Dental Bonding and Contouring: To repair small chips and to completely seal a tooth, dental bonding can be done. Composite resin is used to reshape a tooth to look natural. Several layers of resin will be used to match the shape and size of your existing teeth. UV light is used to harden the material. After the tooth looks good, our emergency dentist will polish it, resulting in a smooth appearance.

2. Crowns: When a large piece of the tooth breaks off, or the tooth has severe decay, we may choose to file a portion of the tooth away and cover it with a crown. The crown is custom-made to fit over your existing tooth according to your bite. It will require two visits to our office. In the first visit, we will remove the decayed part of the tooth and place a temporary crown. During the second visit, we will remove the temporary one and place the final restoration. Adjustments are made to accommodate your bite, so it feels natural.

3. Porcelain veneers: For individuals who have many aspects of their smile that they don’t like, veneers may be a good choice. Porcelain Teeth Veneers are thin shells that are adhered directly to the front of the teeth. They are custom-made to make a smile look natural and to instantly improve Cosmetic Dentistry Grants concerns. In terms of emergency dental care, they aren’t usually included and can be addressed at a future visit.

4. Root canal therapy: When a chip or crack is large enough that it exposes the pulp, a root canal is required. Root canal therapy at Dental Express in San Diego, CA is performed by removing the dead material and thoroughly cleaning the canals of the tooth. The remainder of the tooth is covered with a crown to seal it off and to protect, what is now, a weak tooth.

Treat your chipped tooth pain with an emergency dentist

At Dental Express in San Diego, CA, we specialize in emergency dental care. We want all of our patients to know that we are available to help relieve them of any chipped tooth pain or discomfort related to a dental issue. Our goal as emergency dentists is to restore your smile with various treatments. To learn more about our emergency dental care services and to schedule an appointment, call our office today.