A broken tooth is a dental issue that needs to be addressed by your dentist as soon as possible. A tooth fracture is often a result of decay, accident or trauma, old dental work, or even grinding your teeth. It is possible to break a tooth without experiencing any symptoms, but it is still important to address the problem as soon as you notice it. Your tooth cannot heal itself, so any dental problem that you have needs to be evaluated by your dentist for treatment.
What if half of my tooth broke off?
In the event that you fracture a tooth, it may be small and easily repaired with a filling or dental crown. If the fracture is larger, you run the risk of the tooth potentially splitting into two pieces. There are a few treatment options available to repair a broken tooth. Your dentist will determine which is appropriate based on the severity of the fracture.
For small breaks, your dentist may be able to contour and smooth the affected area to prevent further damage. Your dentist may also be able to apply a composite bonding material, which is the same material that is used to fill cavities in teeth. Larger cracks may require a dental crown, which is a porcelain or ceramic restoration that covers the entire tooth and can save a fractured tooth from being extracted.
In some cases, a severely damaged tooth may require a root canal to relieve pain and remove infection from within a tooth. This is typically reserved for more severe cases where a tooth has fractured and not been attended to in a timely manner. When a tooth is left compromised, bacteria and food particles can get into the inner tissues of the tooth and cause infection or abscess. If you do have a root canal, the most common restoration after the root canal is a dental crown.
As a last resort, your tooth may need to be extracted. It is important that we keep all of our natural teeth as long as possible, but if a tooth is deemed hopeless and cannot be repaired, it may need to come out in order to ensure the health of the rest of the mouth.
If you do have to have a tooth extracted, your dentist will discuss restoration options with you, which could include a dental bridge or a dental implant. An implant is typically the better option, but it is more invasive and expensive, so it is important to understand your options and be prepared for the financial costs of treatment.
The bottom line is, if you think you have a fractured tooth, it is very important to have it evaluated immediately before it progresses to a more severe case. It is much less costly and less invasive to repair a fractured tooth than it is to leave the tooth untreated and wait for it to break. Even if you are not experiencing any negative symptoms, see your dentist as soon as possible to ensure the health of your teeth.