It can happen to anyone. You’re having a great day, and suddenly you experience that funny feeling in your stomach that tells you that something is wrong: you just chipped your tooth. Or, you’re enjoying yourself at a party at a friend’s house, and you feel a sharp pain, and you just know that you cracked your tooth.
Although you may be tempted to put these issues off, it is important to deal with them immediately. Unfortunately, a chip may not be just a chip, and a crack may not be just a crack. Think about your teeth for a moment. Each tooth is solid; the solid nature of each tooth means that sugar, acids, and other materials cannot get inside the tooth. With a crack or a chip, though, those and other potentially harmful materials can make their way inside your tooth. Once there, they can cause damage.
There is good news: if you come into the office as soon as possible, we can address a crack or chip and get things back to normal for you very quickly. We do our best to accommodate emergency dental appointments. There are a variety of options, including bonding, veneers, and crowns. The best solution for you will depend on the condition of your tooth. We’ll explain any available options and work with you to determine the best one for your particular situation. If the damage is more extensive, the solution may be more complicated, but we will explain everything and address the problem in the way that is best for you and your oral health.
Sometimes, the cause of the crack or chip could be something that never even occurred to you. That’s another reason to come in as soon as you notice a crack or chip: that chip may not be the result of that ice cube or piece of hard candy, as you originally thought. If you grind your teeth, you may not even be aware you are doing so. This condition, known as bruxism, can happen at night, and it can cause chips in your teeth. If you come in for a chipped tooth, we will be able to tell if you grind your teeth. In addition to fixing the chipped tooth, we can also address the grinding so you don’t experience any additional problems as a result of it.
There’s another culprit that may surprise you: oral piercings. Sometimes, when people experience chips or cracks, they attribute it to a particular instance or problem, but their oral piercings may turn out to be the true cause. For example, “One study in a dental journal reported that 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth.”
Ultimately, a crack may not be just a crack and a chip may not be just a chip. In some cases, there may be an underlying condition, such as bruxism, or a particular cause, such as an oral piercing. No matter what caused the chip or crack, we can work with you to find the best solution.