Broken Tooth Repair

A chip is a small piece missing from the surface. A crack is a fracture line that can run deeper into the tooth. A break means a larger piece is gone. A cracked tooth can be the hardest to see.

A pink or red spot inside the break, bleeding from inside the tooth, strong pain that starts on its own, or pain from hot and cold that lingers. Any of these means call today.

Treat it as urgent. Don’t wiggle it or bite on it, and come in the same day so the root and the bone around it are checked. If the tooth came all the way out, see what to do for a knocked-out tooth.

Sometimes. It depends on how far the break runs, the root and the bone around it. Dr. Godko checks it with x-rays, and when it can’t be saved, the replacement is planned at the same visit.

A cusp is one of the raised points on the chewing surface of a back tooth. When one breaks off, often beside a large filling, the tooth may hurt little or not at all, but it’s weakened and needs an onlay or crown to protect it.

Sharp pain when you bite, pain when you release your bite, or a twinge with hot and cold that comes and goes. Cracks are often too fine to see, so they’re found with magnification and bite tests. See cracked tooth repair.

Pain on release is a classic sign of a cracked tooth: the crack opens slightly as you bite and snaps shut as you let go. Come in before the crack spreads.

Yes. Back teeth take heavy chewing forces, so a broken molar is restored with an all-ceramic crown or an onlay rather than a small bonding repair.

Bonding suits a small chip and is done in one visit. A porcelain veneer rebuilds a larger part of the front surface and is matched to the teeth beside it. Veneers are placed in-house, with the artistry it takes for a seamless, natural result.

In some cases, yes, when the piece is intact. Keep it in milk or saliva in a clean container and bring it with you.

Yes, when enough healthy tooth remains. Bonding or a filling repairs many smaller breaks. A crown is chosen when the tooth needs full coverage to stay strong.

Sometimes. A very small chip on the edge of a tooth can be smoothed and polished so it no longer feels sharp, or rebuilt with a little bonding. Dr. Godko checks first that the chip isn’t hiding a crack.

Each suits a different break. Bonding rebuilds a small chip in one visit and keeps the most natural tooth. A crown covers the whole tooth when a large piece is gone or the tooth is weakened, holding it together for chewing.

Yes. Bonding, porcelain veneers and all-ceramic crowns are shade-matched to the teeth beside them, and all-ceramic crowns have no dark line at the gum.

The tooth is numbed before any repair, so most patients feel pressure rather than pain. Small bonding repairs often need no numbing at all, and sedation is available if you’re anxious.

A root canal treats the nerve, not the weakness the break left behind. The crown holds the tooth together so it doesn’t split when you chew.

Chewing on that side, hard, crunchy or sticky food, and very hot or cold drinks if they set off pain. Don’t try to file down or glue the tooth yourself.

If you’re coughing, wheezing or having trouble breathing, the piece may have gone into your airway: go to the ER now. Otherwise, call to have the tooth repaired.

No. A small chip or a broken cusp may not hurt at all, while a break near the nerve can be very sensitive. Even a break that doesn’t hurt weakens the tooth and lets bacteria in, so have it checked.

Only for trouble breathing, bleeding that won’t stop, a broken jaw or a head injury. For the tooth itself, a dentist does what an ER can’t: repair it. Broken teeth are seen the same day at both offices.

Yes: book online anytime at www.deluxedentistry.com/schedule-appointment. You can also call (609) 400-1393 or (609) 303-2005 during office hours.

No. Narrow cracks don’t always show up on an x-ray, so the diagnosis also uses your symptoms, a close exam under magnification and bite tests.

It can. An injury can affect the nerve and blood supply inside the tooth, and a tooth that darkens over the following weeks should be checked.

Biting on ice, hard candy, popcorn kernels or pens, falls and sports injuries, grinding or clenching, decay that weakens the tooth, and large old fillings that leave thin walls behind.

Brush and floss it like your other teeth, keep your checkups so the repair is looked at each visit, and skip chewing ice and other very hard foods.

Avoid chewing ice and hard objects, wear a custom night guard if you grind, and a custom sports mouthguard if you play contact sports.