A chipped tooth is basically a fracture at the crown of a tooth. The usual culprits of a chipped tooth are injury, brittle teeth, cavities, tooth decay, weak tooth structure and bruxism. Oftentimes, we hear someone complaining of chipping a tooth while eating hard foods or candies. However, that is not true in all cases because a tooth that chipped while eating is originally weak in structure, hence it was already vulnerable to chipping even before eating hard foods.
When chipping a tooth, it is always best to immediately see a dentist regardless if there was pain or not. A dentist will help assess the damage that happened to a tooth and decide on how to proceed next. He or she will likely conduct dental x-ray to check if there had been damage done to the root of the tooth. Furthermore, the dentist will thoroughly inspect the tooth and try to find out what caused it to chip. Dentists generally treat a chipped tooth by replacing the broken crown with a synthetically made veneer. In the case however of a severely injured tooth, the extent and method of the treatment may vary according to the damage.
If only a small part of the tooth chipped, the dentist may remedy the damage by filing the tooth. This will smoothen it and ensure that it does not have any sharp edges that will injure your mouth. He or she may also recommend a veneer, which is a thin shell of ceramic, to cover the chipped part. Veneers cover only the front side of the tooth, the side visible when we smile.
But if the damage on the tooth is significant and it causes pain when eating or drinking, then you may need a crown. A crown is a covering cemented on and encasing the entire tooth. It is often used to rebuild a severely injured or decayed tooth by giving it a completely new look. Conversely, you can also try filling a chipped tooth, as the same filling used for cavities can also be used as a remedy.
