How to Repair a Chipped Tooth

You’re on your way to the dentist to fix your chipped tooth when you suddenly realize that you have no idea how to repair a chipped tooth. How will the dentist fix your chipped tooth? Will it be expensive? What do you need to do beforehand? Is there anything you can do at home before you go? Here are some tips on how to prepare for and get your chipped tooth repair by the dentist without costing too much or stressing out too much.

What Causes A Chipped Tooth?

When chipping occurs, you’ll want to know what caused it so that you can prevent future damage. One common culprit is using your teeth as tools rather than for their intended purpose—chewing. If you wear braces or have ill-fitting dentures, chipping might also be due to poor dental care and maintenance. And because chips are often left untreated, they will continue to decay until they finally fall out completely, leaving behind an unattractive gap in your smile. The best way to repair a chipped tooth is with restorative work done by a professional dental restoration team.

Restorations such as porcelain veneers and crowns will cover up any gaps, hiding them from sight while promoting more regular oral hygiene habits on your part. Besides preventing additional damage, taking proper care of yourself at home is essential for helping ensure smooth progress during treatment; brushing twice a day and flossing once a day will help keep plaque at bay while protecting against further erosion of enamel. You should also avoid chewing on hard objects (like ice cubes) or anything other than food (like pencils), both of which put undue pressure on vulnerable areas of teeth.

Clean Out The Chip

A chipped tooth can be repaired in one of two ways, depending on how deep it is. The first (and best) way is through bonding . Bonding is essentially like using sticky glue to fill in damaged areas of your teeth and make them smooth again. First, your dentist will remove any loose bits of enamel from your chipped tooth. Then, they’ll put a white filling material into your chip that hardens over time. These materials are usually made out of glass or quartz and are designed to blend in with your natural tooth structure so that no one knows you had a chip until you tell them. Finally, they’ll use another material (such as resin) to mold your new shiny white filling so that it matches with adjacent teeth. Voilà!

Your chip has been repaired. But what if your chip isn’t a simple surface crack? If there’s an opening all the way down to your inner tooth tissue, then you’re going to need something called composite repair . This procedure involves removing some of your healthy tooth material and replacing it with artificial composite material that sticks directly onto your tooth’s surface. What about restorations? In some cases, dentists might recommend getting a crown placed on top of where your chipped tooth is located. Unlike other types of dental restorations such as bridges , crowns don’t replace entire sections of teeth; instead, they’re used when large parts have been lost due to decay or trauma.

Bonding The Tooth

The most common form of dental bonding is cosmetic bonding, which generally involves using tooth-colored composite resin to fill in spaces between teeth. Cosmetic bonding is used for various purposes including closing small gaps and filling worn or chipped teeth so they appear longer. Also called tooth-colored restorations, composite resins are strong materials that are durable and designed for long-lasting use. The process of creating a new surface on your tooth can be quick—usually lasting less than an hour—and is often considered one of dentistry’s most conservative options when compared with dental crowns or veneers. Bonding is often done on two or more teeth at once but can also be performed on individual teeth, too.

A dentist will apply a substance such as zinc oxide to any teeth being treated and then lay down a layer of composite resin over it. After allowing it to harden, he or she will trim off any excess material and polish your restored tooth surfaces to remove any rough spots; then you will be given instructions on how to properly care for them during their initial healing period. Within three months after treatment, you should notice minimal differences between natural teeth (even under close inspection) because only minor changes have been made.

Eat Foods That Encourage Strong Teeth

Soft, acidic foods wear down teeth and damage enamel. If you’re going to eat something that contains acidic ingredients like lemon or orange juice, drink it through a straw in order to limit contact with your teeth. Crunchy or hard foods also put your teeth at risk because they can easily crack or chip when you bite into them—and some people may even grind their teeth while sleeping. Choose crunchy or hard foods like carrots and apples instead of chips and crackers. That way, if you do accidentally chip your tooth on an item like popcorn, it won’t be as likely to make any permanent damage. (Tooth-chipping is different from tooth-cracking.

In general, you can repair cracked teeth, but not chipped ones.) However, there are rare cases where tiny cracks in your teeth will grow larger over time. In fact, researchers have found links between gum disease and cracked enamel. So don’t ignore small chips or cracks; always address dental concerns by seeing a dentist as soon as possible.

Be Gentle On Your Teeth

When repairing a chipped tooth, it’s important to be gentle. Don’t press down hard on your tooth when placing it back into place. Doing so could cause additional damage and lead to further pain, sensitivity or infection. If your dentist can’t fix your tooth in one visit, he or she may use a temporary cap. When you come back for another appointment, he or she can replace that cap with an actual filling—so there won’t be any extra pain! It may take two appointments to repair a cracked or chipped tooth but it will keep you comfortable until everything is fixed up and ready for eating tough food again!

Avoid Hard Foods and Drinks

Our teeth are vulnerable to damage no matter how careful we are. When that damage happens, it’s important not to try and fix it yourself by chewing on hard foods or sipping through a straw—you could actually make things worse! Instead, visit your dentist as soon as possible for a professional checkup and quick repair. Your smile will thank you for it.