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Oh no. You’ve ordered a delicious starter at the restaurant, bitten into a yummy olive, and the pit has left you Googling ‘how to fix a chipped tooth?’
Not the fine dining experience you were hoping for, right?
Not to worry - chipping a tooth is a very common reason people visit the dentist, despite tooth enamel being one of the hardest and most resilient substances in your body.
In fact, we see close to 65 patients every week needing chipped tooth repair, with the leading causes being:
Even if you only have a slightly chipped tooth, or have no pain, please do not search the internet for ‘How to fix a chipped tooth at home’ videos, or consider skipping or delaying a visit to your dentist. Avoiding the dentist now can lead to bacteria infecting your tooth soon, causing irreversible damage.
Similarly, without treatment, you may find yourself avoiding the damaged tooth by chewing on the other side of your mouth. This can lead to strain, sensitivity and more issues such as locking of the jaw.
Book your appointment or Download our New Patient Guide to see our full list of treatments and fees
The first step following a mishap and if you think your tooth chipped off (or is cracked or broken) is to contact us and make an appointment. If you are in pain, and having trouble eating or sleeping, please book an emergency appointment.
Then, in the interim, as you wait for your appointment, you will need to:
You can read about other ways to look after your teeth while you wait for your dentist appointment here.
Even if you feel that cosmetically, you can live with having a chipped tooth - even a chipped front tooth, you still don’t really know what’s going on with that chipped tooth inside.
In fact, if the tooth has also cracked you may not:
Unlike a tooth chip that breaks off, cracks in teeth can be so tiny that they barely show up on an x-ray, yet can result in:
These symptoms and risks, paired with those from not fixing a chipped tooth (e.g. infection, lock jaw from overcompensation use) make booking an appointment with your dentist Port Macquarie the smartest option health-wise, and financially, before things escalate.
A chipped tooth’s treatment will vary depending on the extent of the damage done, and the previous condition of the tooth. As it’s tricky to tell exactly how much damage there is by sight alone, at TL Dental we will use digital x-rays and intra-oral cameras so we can assess this immediately, and we can show it to you on the screen, too.
Subsequent repair treatments might include:
Costs will vary depending on the level of tooth damage and the treatment required, but a tooth filling starts from $240. Your dentist will be able to provide an assessment to determine the state of your tooth and a recommended treatment. You may be able to access finance options and be eligible for rebates from your health fund. Call us today on (02) 6583 4055 to learn more.
To end - it’s important to emphasise that while you may not be too bothered by the chipped tooth ‘look’ or feel, it really does need to be seen by a dentist as soon as possible, to prevent any further damage or serious infection.