We restore the beauty and strength of chipped teeth with a range of cosmetic and restorative dentistry services
If you break your tooth while on the slopes or at the rink, the “trauma” can be hard to miss and ignore. At Urgent Dental of Denver, our emergency dentist is experienced in treating injuries resulting from falls or blows to the face. You can trust us to provide genuine care for your dental emergency. However, as partners in our patient’s oral health, in addition to urgent dental care providers, Dr. Drew Boyd and our team have also treated patients with damage from chipped or cracked teeth – and they didn’t even know the seriousness of their condition! Just because your teeth, for the most part, “feel fine” or “look good” does not mean treatment is avoidable. In fact, many oral conditions are “silent” or asymptomatic in their earliest stages. It is only after the chip, fracture, or another form of injury or trauma has led to damage that concerning changes may be noted by the patient.
These changes may include:
- A sting or sensitivity when consuming sweet, hot, or cold foods and drinks
- Infrequent or jarring pain when biting down
- Persistent discomfort that may be quite severe
- Pain that persists even after the source (the chewy food or sweet drink) has been removed
In addition to accidents, falls, and other acute forms of trauma, chips, and cracks that weaken the tooth may arise from chronic problems. These include destructive habits, such as teeth grinding and chewing ice. Also, the destructive process of enamel erosion and tooth decay can progressively wear down and eat away at the protective covering of the teeth. The severity of symptoms like pain can tell us a little about the nature and extent of the damage to your tooth and whether it is more of a cosmetic concern or a health concern that requires restorative treatment.
Generally, any time the tooth is weakened to a degree where the innermost tooth structure (pulp) is affected, more aggressive or extensive restorative treatments are likely necessary to preserve the tooth – and to avoid its extraction or removal. For cosmetic chips that do not present a health threat to the tooth, Dr. Boyd may recommend procedures such as durable and natural-looking porcelain veneers. The
veneer has the added benefit of protecting and building up the margin of the tooth, where the teeth meet the gum line. So, it can also be used to prevent damage that would later require restorations like crowns. For cracks that affect or lead to damage to the deep layers of the tooth, root canal therapy may be necessary to keep the tooth intact. Not all fractured teeth can be saved in this way, and extractions at our office are largely quickly followed with beautiful and long-lasting replacement teeth, like crowns or bridges supported by dental implants.
Chipped or otherwise “imperfect” teeth may be more than a cosmetic concern or annoyance. Call (720) 573-2629 to schedule your evaluation with Dr. Boyd at Urgent Dental of Denver, CO, today. We can customize a nightguard for your one-of-a-kind mouth to prevent further damage and protect dental work.
