Fixing A Chipped Tooth

Fixing A Chipped Tooth

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Thanks to a relatively new field called cosmetic dentistry, many people can go to a dentist to have their chipped tooth fixed. Dr. Bart Kreiner has his own dental office, Dr. Kreiner Family Dentistry, in Bel Air, Maryland. Here, he talks about what is involved in fixing a chipped tooth. And youll find that so many accidents resulting in chipped teeth could be easily avoided.

There are many ways to fix a chipped tooth. Once a tooth is fixed, it will not last forever, but can last up to a decade and the best is that sometimes it only takes a few minutes. Depending upon the severity of the chip, the process could be as easy as adding tooth-colored plastic restoration or could be as complicated as requiring a four-by-four crown, which is called a full-coverage crown in the dentistry.

Causes for a Chipped Tooth
Many accidents may result in a persons chipped tooth. In the pediatric population, the main reason is from face-first falls. People often play recreational sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball. These ball games are thought to be non-contact sports, so mouthguards are not required. But since a ball or an elbow often hits a player in the face, usually the largest cause of a chipped tooth is physical trauma.

Chewing ice is another reason of getting teeth chipped. Popcorn is also a great chipper of teeth because people may carelessly chomp down on an unpopped kernel. And hard candies are supposed to be sucked on, but we often chew and break them into pieces, so that the hardness of the candies also causes chipping and breakage of teeth.

Extracting a Badly Chipped Tooth
If a tooth is badly chipped, we have to extract it. In my 20 years as a dentist, I have had to extract two perfectly virgin teeth that broke vertically, though they had no decay or restoration. I think it was an ice chewer that made both teeth non-restorable.

Believe it or not, both teeth that had to be extracted belonged to the same patient, at two different times, three years apart. And she did not have soft teeth, either. She had normal teeth and actually had fillings in the other teeth, but they did not break. The extracted teeth did have no decay or fillings, so I would advise people not to chew ice and to carefully eat popcorn and other hard substances such as hard candies.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

About the Author:
qwit@elevinno.com



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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