Chipped teeth can be a source of pain and discomfort, and they can also be a cause for concern. If you have a chipped tooth, it's important to know how to handle it in order to preserve the tooth and avoid serious pain or infection. Unfortunately, there are no effective home remedies to prevent further injury to your teeth and mouth, and the sharp edges of a cracked tooth could cut through soft tissue, causing more pain, infection, and potentially more expensive treatment. If you have a sharp tooth that cuts through your cheek, you should go see a dentist.
Waiting for it to soften on its own can take months, if not years. And that's if the chipped area doesn't go ahead and breaks further due to the weak point of its anatomy. Sharp edges of teeth caused by injury can be irritating and possibly cut the tongue or the inside of the cheek. In these cases, filing the tooth at home with a nail file or emery file can provide relief.
However, if you have any real tooth pain, it is dangerous to file the tooth yourself. In these cases, you can use temporary pain relievers, such as wax and medications, until you can see a dentist. Patients can expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a small chip that requires dental adhesion or a few thousand for a serious chip that needs root canal treatment and a crown. Finding the underlying cause of a chipped tooth is important, but if it's associated with crooked or hollow teeth, you may be able to use aligners at home to improve both your bite and smile.
If you have chipped a tooth and want to avoid this problem in the future, there are several steps you can take. Some kits include dental wax, while others provide material that can be molded into the shape of a tooth to fill any space in chipped teeth. If only a small portion of the enamel has come off, it's likely that the dentist can repair the tooth in a single office visit. If you're not sure, make an appointment right away to prevent a chipped tooth from becoming a dental emergency.
These DIY kits also don't address any underlying problems, such as changes in enamel or infections that could have caused the tooth to chip. Some minor splinters can be handled without professional treatment, and you can take steps to manage an injured tooth while you wait for dental care. If you have to wait a while to see your dentist, you may want to use a kit to create a temporary cover for your chipped tooth. For most people, a chipped tooth seems to be a problem with its appearance rather than a possible medical problem.
Placing a root canal inside it will preserve the healthy tooth structure you still have, helping you avoid future tooth loss. If the chip is small, they may simply polish and soften the area, so that the tooth returns to a uniform shape. Tooth replacement kits are temporary and do not address major problems that could lead to infections, tooth loss, or other oral health complications. You bite something that is too hard, you have a minor accident and hit your head, or maybe there is an underlying problem with your tooth that leads to a small part of it breaking. Knowing how to handle these situations is important in order to preserve your teeth and avoid serious pain or infection.
