While enamel – the outer covering of your teeth – is the hardest material in the human body, chipping or cracking is relatively common. You might have chipped a tooth while playing sports, or maybe it happened while biting down on an errant nutshell.
If a tooth is seriously cracked, emergency dental care is necessary, and even a minor chip should be evaluated by a dentist as soon as possible. The team at Wicker Park Dental can help you fix your chipped tooth from the comfort and convenience of our Tempe, Arizona, office.
In order to help you understand why you should see a dentist about your chipped tooth, let’s look at the potential complications.
The issues that can arise from a chipped tooth
Other bones in your body heal when you fracture them. When it comes to teeth, that’s not the case. When left unchecked, the chip in your tooth can progress further, even compromising your whole tooth.
You may not lose your tooth, but a chip can expose the sensitive root of your tooth, causing pain when you eat and difficulty enjoying hot or cold foods.
In addition to being at risk for infection, your exposed tooth root can also become infected. In addition to increased sensitivity, a bacterial infection can cause the following symptoms:
- An abscess
- A bad taste in your mouth
- A fever
- Swelling in your neck and jaw
There is no doubt that chipped teeth can cause a lot of problems. These problems can be avoided by getting your tooth treated.
Fixing a chipped tooth
At Urban Smiles Dental, Dr. Jin Young Maeng provides convenient, comfortable care for chipped and cracked teeth.
A crack or chip that is caught early can be treated to prevent it from spreading. A quick, simple fix like dental bonding may be all that is needed if the breakage is minor. If the damage is more severe, we can fit you with a crown to protect the tooth.
Don’t worry. There’s no need to make multiple trips to our office for your crown. At Urban Smiles Dental, we offer CEREC crowns.
Alternatively, we can perform a root canal on your chipped tooth to stop the infection and save your tooth if the infection has penetrated the root.
If you have a chipped tooth, you should seek dental care as soon as possible to make things easier. Our Chicago, Illinois, office can help restore your smile and minimize complications by scheduling an appointment online or calling our office.