Even though the enamel is one of the toughest structures in your body, it has its limitations and weaknesses. As a result, your teeth can be easily damaged for many reasons resulting in chipped, broken, or cracked teeth. In fact, fixing chipped problems is a vastly frequent cause for visiting the Dentist in Paradise Valley. Moreover, it is one of the most common reasons for dental urgencies in the world.

Tooth chipping usually occurs in front teeth, but it can also affect the molars at any stage of life, indistinctively of their age or gender.

What Are The Causes Of Chipped Teeth?

Your teeth can chip due to various reasons. Among these, we can find:

• Bitting down or chewing hard foods such as ice, candy, and bones
• Dental accidents and trauma
• Playing high-impact sports without protection
• Grinding your teeth during sleep or the day

Why Does It Happen?

Applying enough amount of pressure over your teeth can induce fractures to any degree. In a nutshell, teeth chips are breakages in the crystalized teeth structure induced by the previously mentioned factors. Thereby, every circumstance that weakens tooth composition can increase fracture risk. These situations include:

• Mineralization problems
• Dental decay and cavities
• An acidic diet that weakens the enamel
• Stomach conditions such as reflux and heartburn
• Vomiting
• Aging

In addition to external factors like accidents and acids, your teeth lose properties as you grow older. Their constant use and exposure to foods and bite forces induce small chip lines. Therefore, determine the cause of the problem is crucial to find the appropriate treatment.

What Are The Symptoms of Chipped Teeth?

The symptoms will depend on the extent and severity of each case. Most times, small fractures are not painful nor noticeable. Moreover, patients usually discover them by feeling sharp edges over the teeth surface or noticing white strains.

However, when it worsens, chipping can damage large parts of crowns and affect teeth pulp, causing pain and discomfort.

How Can You Treat Chipped Teeth?

Your treatment depends on multiple factors, such as the complexity, location, and severity of your problem. Minor fractures might not even require any treatment at all unless they compromise your esthetics. Nonetheless, most small chips can be fixed with dental fillings and cosmetic treatments says this dentist who does high-quality teeth whitening in Highlands Ranch.

The most common treatment for a chipped tooth is using composite resin to replace the fractured piece with a colour-like material that behaves and looks like your natural denture. More complex cases might require ceramic treatments, crowns, and sometimes a root canal treatment to save the tooth.

How Much Does It Cost?

Although every case is unique, the cost of your restoration will depend on the amount of structure lost. However, a slight repairment goes from $100 to $200. On the other hand, restorations for larger fractures can cost $1000, including the crown. Finally, teeth with pulp affections can go over $1500, considering all the previous steps and root canal that these cases usually require.

We recommend that you visit Solterra Dentistry if you notice any sign or symptoms of fractures. Remember that these problems are easily treatable in the early stages. Thereby, keep your teeth safe and healthy to avoid further consequences.

References:

Goracci, Cecilia, Russi Gheewalla, Gerard Kugel, and Marco Ferrari. 2001. “Orthodontic-Restorative Treatment of Chipped or Worn Incisors.” American Journal of Dentistry.

Höland, Wolfram et al. 2008. “Ceramics as Biomaterials for Dental Restoration.” Expert Review of Medical Devices.

Jones, Lewis C. 2020. “Dental Trauma.” Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America.

Willems, G, P Lambrechts, M Braem, and G Vanherle. 1993. “Composite Resins in the 21st Century.” Quintessence international (Berlin, Germany : 1985).

Zaleckiene, Vaida, Vytaute Peciuliene, Vilma Brukiene, and Saulius Drukteinis. 2014. “Traumatic Dental Injuries: Etiology, Prevalence and Possible Outcomes.” Stomatologija / issued by public institution “Odontologijos studija” … [et al.].