A broken tooth can happen to anyone and may or may not cause adverse symptoms. If you experience a broken tooth and do not feel pain or sensitivity, it can be tempting to wait to have the tooth treated until you are having pain, but without proper treatment in a timely manner, a small chip or fracture can eventually cause significant problems, including infection or abscess.
Your dentist will be able to evaluate the affected tooth to determine the best treatment in an effort to save the tooth. Left untreated, an infection in the tooth can actually travel into the jaw and even the neck and head, causing additional health problems.
Broken Tooth and Infection
If you experience a break in a tooth that fractures through the enamel into the inner tissues of the tooth, the pulp inside the tooth can become infected. There are nerves and tissues housed within the pulp of the tooth that cause pain when an infection develops. Infection can be caused by the naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth getting into the pulp of the tooth.
Patients who experience severe pain with sensitivity to hot and cold foods and beverages likely have damaged the pulp and will need to see an endodontist for root canal therapy to remove the infection and relieve pain. After a root canal, your dentist will restore the tooth with either a filling or a dental crown. Teeth that receive endodontic treatment need to be permanently restored to ensure the structural integrity of the tooth because it will become brittle over time due to a lack of blood flow.
Identifying a Broken Tooth
Pain and sensitivity are most often the first symptoms that you may notice with a broken tooth, though not every fracture causes symptoms. Even a small chip in your tooth can be very rough and cause sores on your tongue or cheek and eventually lead to further damage so it is important to have any chip or fractured tooth evaluated by your dentist as soon as possible.
For minor chips and fractures, your dentist may be able to simply smooth the tooth or apply some composite bonding to keep the truth together and keep it from getting worse.
Emergency Treatment
While a broken tooth may not necessarily be an emergency, it can be very painful, and it is important to have it taken care of and treated as soon as possible. If, for some reason, you are unable to see your dentist in a day or two, over-the-counter pain medications like Tylenol or Advil, accompanied by a warm saltwater rinse, can help alleviate pain and keep the area clean. If you are out of town or cannot see your dentist immediately for another reason, you might consider visiting an urgent care clinic or emergency room for treatment.
Having a broken tooth restored is vital to the overall health and well-being of your mouth. An untreated fracture can quickly lead to infection and cause more severe damage down the road.