How to repair a chipped or broken tooth

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Chipped teeth are quite common so our Solihull dentist Dr Zubair Sacranie decided to write a blog post dedicated to chip teeth and looking at how to repair them.

Causes of a chipped tooth

Chipped or broken tooth can happen for many reasons, trauma is the most common but also malocclusion can cause teeth to chip or break.

Chipped tooth repair

It’s actually quite easy to prepare a small chip in a tooth. Your dentist will probably use a technique called bonding. Bonding involves cleaning out any discoloured or decayed area around the chip, preparing the surface of the tooth with a special etching gel and then applying a tooth coloured resin directly to the tooth.Chipped front tooth

With many colours and translucency of resin to choose from this is a highly skilled procedure to ensure that the chipped tooth repair is invisible.

Whilst there are a few home kits available to repair chipped teeth in this way they very often have limited range of colours and don’t have the necessary tools, equipment or materials in order to prepare the tooth adequately for bonding meaning home repairs can often not look quite as good and may not last as long.

Chipped teeth are not usually painful as it is normally only the hard outer layer (enamel) that chips.

Broken tooth repair

If the tooth has a large section broken off then this may be too large to repair with bonding. A large broken area of the tooth can also be painful if the break is close to the pulp.

Normally the best way to repair a larger broken tooth like this is to opt for dental veneer or possibly a dental crown. A dental veneer is bonded to the remaining portion of the tooth and will simply replace the broken section. A dental crown would be used if the brake is particularly severe.

Whilst the veneer or crown is being made your dentist will usually place a temporary filling to avoid any sensitivity or pain.

Broken or cracked molar

Broken cracked back teeth are far more likely to need a full dental Crown to repair them. A dental Crown covers the full circumference and amount of the tooth, leaving no natural tooth exposed. These types of crowns are stronger and dental veneers and can withstand the biting forces exerted upon them in the back teeth.

Broken tooth pain

Broken tooth pain comes when the chip or break is very close to the underlying nerve of the tooth. In the short term you may like to try over-the-counter painkillers but in the long-term, if you have a broken tooth and there is pain, this indicates that you need to see a dentist as the break is very close to the nerve.

Chipped tooth at gum line

If you have chips on the tooth at the gum line this can be an indicator that either your bite has some form of malocclusion annual biting down excessively hard on one area, or that you may be brushing slightly too hard in one area of the tooth, causing it to wear away.

Your dentist will be able to assess your biting forces or teeth cleaning habits and let you know which one of these causes is most likely for you. Once the cause has been established action can then be taken.

Zubair Sacranie

Zubair Sacranie

Dr. Zubair Sacranie is a highly qualified and experienced clinician in the fields of cosmetic dentistry and dental implantology. He qualified from the Dundee Dental School in 2000 thereafter completing his two year General Professional Training Scheme. During this time Dr.Sacranie had training in implant and complex restorative dentistry as well as in orthodontics and peadiatric dentistry. Dr Sacranie worked in a private dental practice in Coventry for four years before becoming the Principal and owner of the Solihull Dental Centre & Implant Clinic. He is also the practice principle at Water Orton Dental Centre.
Zubair Sacranie

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