Chipped Teeth: Prevention and Treatment Options

It can happen at any time. You may bite down on a particularly hard piece of food. You may accidently hit the tip of your tooth with a glass bottle. Or you may receive a blow to the mouth while playing a sport. Any of these scenarios, and many others, can result in a chipped tooth. A chipped tooth is a serious problem, and not just because it can affect the appearance of your smile. A chipped tooth may actually make you more vulnerable to tooth decay or root canal infection. If you have suffered a chipped tooth, Victor R. Siegel, DDS, can perform cosmetic dentistry treatment to improve the appearance of your smile, replace the lost tooth structure, and seal off the inner structures of the tooth. To undergo treatment for chipped teeth, contact our Rockville, MD practice today.

Preventing Chipped Teeth

A number of events can result in a chipped tooth. While a chipped tooth can’t always be prevented, there are some cautionary measures you can take to make dental damage less likely to occur.

• Wear a mouth guard: If you play contact sports, wear a mouth guard during practice and games. Athletes are more likely to receive a blow to the mouth from another player or a piece of sporting equipment.
• Do not use the mouth as a tool or chew on inedible objects: If you take the cap off a glass bottle with your teeth, you risk chipping a tooth, or at the very least, weakening the teeth enamel. Similarly, if you habitually chew on your fingernails or pen gaps, you make your teeth more vulnerable to breakage.
• Avoid eating extremely hard foods: Hard foods such as seeds, certain candy, and ice can increase your risk of chips and cracks.

Your Treatment Options

A chipped tooth can refer to a tiny chip that is barely noticeable to large chips that leave only a portion of the tooth’s crown left. Your treatment options will depend on the severity of the chip, your goals, and budget.

• Tooth shaping: In the most minor of cases, we may be able to shave down the surrounding tooth structure to eliminate the chip. The tooth structure of the opposing tooth may also be reshaped to produce a symmetrical result.
• Dental bonding: Smaller chips can be inexpensively treated with the dental bonding procedure. This treatment takes just one appointment, during which a tooth-colored composite resin is carefully applied to fill in the chip.
• Porcelain veneers: Small to medium-sized chips can be treated with porcelain veneers. This treatment is more expensive than bonding, but offers more natural looking results. At the end of this two-appointment treatment process, a porcelain veneer is placed over the front of your chipped tooth, masking the chip completely.
• Dental crowns: For severe chips, we may need to cap your tooth with a dental crown. This restoration completely covers the remaining structure of the tooth, improving its strength, in addition to its appearance.

To undergo treatment for chipped teeth, contact the practice of Victor R. Siegel, DDS.