How to Deal with a Chipped Tooth?

dental problems

A chipped or broken tooth in Glendale is not always the outcome of naughty childhood. It may happen to anyone at any age. The reasons are many. These include falling down on the face, receiving a hard blow, biting hard, and progressive tooth decay-causing it to break. If you experience a chipped or broken tooth, the first thing to do is to stay calm. Then call your Glendale dentist at 1-818-578-2324 as soon as possible to make an appointment.
Chances are that you may not always be able to see the dentist immediately. Until you can get to the dental clinic, here are a few simple-to-try methods.

What to Do in Case of Chipped Tooth?

  1. Rinse your mouth with salt water. Saltwater gargling is the best form of antiseptic to rinse your mouth of any bacteria. Sometimes, the chipped tooth may make easy room for food to get stuck up in open spaces. Therefore, rinse your mouth well with salt water.
  2. To stop bleeding, take a small piece of gauze and apply pressure on the affected area for some time. Teabags also work best at applying pressure to stop bleeding.
  3. Applying a cold compress on the cheek or lips over the chipped tooth area also helps reduce swelling and pain.
  4. If the pain is severe, you may call Dr. Sahakyan, the best dental expert for a chipped tooth at Glendale. He might recommend taking a painkiller such as acetaminophen, an over-the-counter medicine easily available.
  5. Chew sugarless chewing gum – Funny as it may sound, this method actually works if the tooth chip has resulted in a sharp edge. Chewing a sugarless gum would prevent the tongue or the inner part of the cheek and lip from cutting,
  6. Try taking only soft, easy-to-chew food for some time. Also, avoid biting hard from the tooth that is broken, to avoid any inconvenience later on.

In case damage to the tooth has been severe, you might notice other symptoms. Continuous bleeding or excessive pain would indicate that it’s time to see your dentist in Glendale. The dentist would look at the broken part of the tooth and suggest appropriate measures to fix it.
There are a few ways to deal with a chipped tooth. These include dental filling or bonding, dental cap or crown placement, dental veneers, or root canal therapy. Discuss all your concerns with the dentist regarding the chipped or broken tooth.

Common Causes for Chipped Tooth

tooth decay

As mentioned earlier, a tooth may chip anytime, anywhere. While it usually isn’t a cause of great worry, it’s always good to show the chipped tooth at our Glendale clinic. Here are a few reasons why and how your tooth may chip or break:

  • Cavity: One of the most common reasons for chipped teeth; cavities result in enamel weakening, causing slow chipping.
  • Hard bite: Often we tend to bite on hard food, unaware of its consequences. Biting too hard (more than usual) may cause the tooth to chip or break. Some examples include biting an ice cube, hard candy, bone, etc.
  • Bruxism – This is also known as the habit of excessive teeth grinding, particularly at night. It may be a cause of cracked or chipped teeth.

Conclusion

The tooth enamel is generally quite hard and not that easy to be broken down. However, gradual weakening due to poor oral habits or a hard blow may result in the tooth being cracked or even broken. Smile Makeover of LA clinic can help. Book an appointment with one of our dentists at 1-818-578-2324 today.