A chipped tooth can happen for a number of reasons. Whether you accidentally bit down on a hard almond, took a knock during sports or wake up with a chip after a night of grinding, it is always followed by the sinking feeling of ‘Oh no what do I do now?’.
This is where a visit to your dentist can aid in many facets.
Firstly, if the chip is large enough and you have the remaining piece of tooth. Keep it! Depending on the case your dentist may be able to bond the fragment back on to the original tooth producing a lovely end result.
However, if this is not the case never fear.
During the appointment with your dentist you will work together to establish the cause of the fracture so it can be avoided in future. The remaining tooth integrity will be examined and a restorative plan will be made with patient desires and the dentists recommendations both playing a role. If it is a small chip these are usually straight forward restorations and with a skilled practitioner the end result can be just as great, if not better, than the original tooth. If the chip is more extensive than meets the eye and a crack is undermining the remaining tooth structure the dentist will walk through a number of restorative options to help maintain the longevity of that tooth as well as achieving an aesthetic outcome.
Once the tooth has been restored to its former glory it is essential to create a prevention plan to avoid a recurring event, as restored teeth tend to be weaker than sound tooth structure. This usually involves the fabrication of a night guard for nocturnal grinding, sports mouth guard for the active population and avoiding excessive load bearing on the restored tooth.