What to do when a tooth is broken?
Healthy teeth, or more specifically tooth enamel, are the hardest part of the human body, but they are not unbreakable. When a tooth breaks, it is usually the cause of various complications such as tooth pain, infections, difficulty chewing or even at an aesthetic level. As such, and in order to prevent this from happening, we will address what the causes might be and what should be done when a tooth is broken.
Causes of breaking a tooth?
It is not an easy task to break a tooth, but there are some factors which can contribute to this happening more easily. Besides teeth that break due to a strong impact with a hard surface, in falls or accidents, other reasons could be:
– Tooth decay;
– Grinding of teeth (bruxism);
– Periodontitis;
– Using the teeth to open bottles or objects;
– Bad positioning of the teeth in the dental arch.
Is it obligatory to treat a broken tooth?
Apart from causing discomfort when the tooth breaks, it can also cause major future complications. As a rule, it is possible to classify broken teeth into three general cases:
– Only part of the tooth has broken (chipped tooth): in this case the patient may experience some discomfort when chewing, as well as some cuts on the tongue or on the inside of the cheek;
– A large part of the tooth has broken off: when this happens, there is a high probability of inflammation and infection, and also of feeling severe pain when the inner part of the tooth, which contains nerves and blood vessels, is exposed;
– The tooth is completely broken: in this case, the patient should immediately contact (link to contacts) their dentist and if possible keep the tooth in saline solution or milk.
How to treat a broken tooth or the loss of a tooth
There are several possible techniques to treat a broken tooth or the loss of one, in Azores Medical – Dental Clinic we provide the following services taking into account each case:
– Dental veneer;
– Polishing the tooth;
– Restoration;
– Dental crown;
– Dental prosthesis.
In short, the most important thing, both in this and most other cases involving oral hygiene, is prevention through careful oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. And, when a problem occurs, you should make an appointment with the dentist as soon as possible, in order to avoid future problems.
