What to do as soon as you break your tooth
Dental injuries can happen at any time, in any place. Unfortunately, accidents usually happen when you least expect them, but the good news is that we’re always here to help in your hour of need. If you have a broken tooth, don’t panic.
What to do with a broken tooth
If you’ve broken your tooth and it’s a substantial break, rather than a minor chip, we recommend urgent dental treatment. Give us a call and we will try and see you as fast as possible. A fractured tooth can cause pain, but there’s also a risk of further damage to the tooth without treatment.
When you see your dentist, they will take a look at the tooth and do an X-ray to establish the extent of damage and ascertain the best course of action. If the tooth is damaged extensively, a temporary crown may be placed to protect it and then a permanent crown can be fitted. If the tooth is chipped, solutions like cosmetic bonding could be an option. Your dentist will discuss all the treatment options with you before they move onto the next stage. If you do need a crown, a temporary restoration will be placed and an impression will be created and sent away to the dental laboratory. The permanent crown should be ready around 2 weeks later.
If you’ve been involved in an accident or you’ve been injured playing sport, and your tooth has been knocked out, it may be possible to save the tooth, but this requires immediate action. You can either try and implant the tooth back into its socket or you can store the tooth in a glass of milk or lukewarm water until you can reach us. It’s essential to try and avoid touching the tooth roots.
We firmly believe that prevention is always better than cure, and recommend wearing seat belts, using mouth guards for sport and avoiding using the teeth to open bottles or bite off labels to try and reduce the risk of injuries.
If you’re struggling with an unexpected dental injury, and you need urgent help, contact us. We have an experienced dental team ready and waiting to ease your pain and put a smile back on your face.