How do dentists fix chipped teeth?

There is nothing worse than biting down on something delicious and feeling the sudden ‘crack’ of a tooth chipping, or getting knocked in the face during a sporting match and feeling a rough surface on your tooth as you glide over it with your tongue-in fact just thinking about it can send shivers down your spine!

Tooth chipping is very common and can occur in the most unexpected ways, but, luckily, there are multiple ways in which you can fix this situation, and in this post, we will tackle the question how do dentists fix chipped teeth?

Dental Filling or Bonding

The first tool in the dentist kit of repair tricks is dental bonding. Here at Adelaide Dental we generally suggest bonding if you have a very small chip for example, you have chipped off a tiny piece of tooth enamel. Bonding involves using a tooth-colored composite resin, that is molded over the healthy area of the tooth to fill the chip and create a seamless repair. The bonding is fixed to the tooth after the tooth undergoes an ‘etching’ process to create a rough surface for the bond to stick to.

This process is not scary and is relatively painless- it doesn’t actually require anesthesia or numbing and our friendly team here will walk you through the process if you’re feeling a little nervous.

Afterwards, using an ultraviolet light, one of our dentists will harden the material which will create a super strong surface that can last up to 10 years, provided you take care of your attractive results of course. We will keep an eye on this repair during your bi-annual checkups.

Dental Veneers

If you’ve chipped or broken your front tooth, don’t enter panic mode just yet! A dental veneer can restore a tooth back to its healthy look by using a shell of tooth-colored porcelain or resin composite to cover the missing piece. To do this, we will send an impression of the tooth to a dental laboratory which will custom make the veneer to fit your tooth.

Similar to the bonding mentioned earlier, our team at Adelaide Dental will secure the veneer and use a blue light to secure the cement-like glue and harden the veneer as quickly as possible.

If you have doubts about this process, you can speak to a member of staff about fixing your chipped tooth. Like bonding, the repair can last in excess of 10 years, 20 years if cared for correctly. This makes the process an ideal long term solution for repairing both the color and shape of a chipped tooth.

Crowns

If you have pain while chewing or drinking, or have a tooth which presents signs of advanced decay, you may require a crown. In this case, you will be given anesthesia to relieve local pain and make the process as comfortable as possible.

The goal is to protect the tooth from further decay and improve its appearance. There are a couple of different types of crowns you can choose from: gold and all porcelain. While gold crowns are known as being the strongest, porcelain will ultimately make the crown look more natural, almost identical to your original tooth.

A chipped tooth does not have to mean the end of your beautiful smile and we can fix your chipped tooth faster than you can say- ‘Will these nuts hurt my teeth?’, well, almost!

Pop in for a consultation or type in dentist Adelaide into google to find us and we can help you decide which option is the best to suit your needs. We are conveniently located in Rundle Mall Adelaide across from the Myer Centre and are always happy to have a chat with you.