Broken Tooth?

13th May 2017

Our teeth are made from the hardest material in our body which is called enamel which makes a tooth very strong but they can still break, chip off or fracture.

Fractured or broken tooth can have various reasons like:

  • Falling (playground, floor, slab etc.)
  • Biting on something hard.
  • Teeth with decay/cavity.
  • Receiving a blow to face.

 

 

 

Following steps should be taken as soon as you realise you have a broken tooth

  • Rinse your mouth with salt water.
  • Try to find the broken fragment and if possible take it with you to your dental surgeon.
  • Maintain good oral hygiene.
  • Do not chew with the fractured tooth.
  • If bleeding is there, apply pressure over the site using a clean/sterile gauze.
  • If tooth comes out along with root portion, keep the tooth in salt water or milk and immediately visit a dentist for re-implantation of fractured tooth if possible.

What treatment can be done to fix the fracture?

Depending upon which tooth was broken and severity of fracture various treatment options are available, some of them are:

 

  • Composite restoration/ Tooth coloured filling: Fast procedure in which a tooth coloured material will be used to replace the broken fragment.

  • Veneering: A thin layer of tooth coloured material will be used to cover front surface of tooth and replace the broken fragment.

  • Crown/Cap: Mainly done after performing a root canal therapy on a tooth which is severely damaged. A metal or porcelain in shape of your tooth is fixed over the broken tooth.

  • Root canal therapy: Mainly done to prevent infection after fracture, usually done if the fracture involves the pulp.

  • Re-implantation:  In certain conditions if the tooth comes out along with it’s root, it can be placed back into it’s place by a dental surgeon.

  • Post and core: It is done after root canal therapy in teeth which do not have sufficient tooth structure. In this procedure small post (screw/pillar) are fixed in the roots of the broken teeth and a crown/cap is fixed after that.

  • Dental Implant: Not all fractures can be repaired/restored; we are dental surgeon not god. In certain conditions your tooth cannot be repaired, it will be taken out and a dental implant can be placed (Titanium screw into jaw bone).

FAQ

Q: What you can you do to fix it?

A: Keep calm and visit a dental surgeon.

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