Is a Chipped Tooth Serious?
Fractured teeth could be minor or severe and might appear as chips at the edges of the teeth, cracks on the surface, or severe breaks. No matter whether your chipped tooth seems serious or not, fracturing or chipping a tooth weakens the tooth and poses the risk of exposing the nerve within the tooth, so it should be addressed by a dentist. It’s not possible to fix a chipped tooth on your own, and your dentist can determine the most effective treatment for repairing your chipped tooth to protect the nerves, prevent infection, and restore the integrity of the tooth’s structure. In some cases, minor chips don’t need to be repaired, but only a dentist can determine whether this is the case.
Of course, if you’ve broken or chipped a tooth during a fall or accident and you’re in immediate pain, you should seek medical attention right away. If you have a smaller fracture or chip, though, the severity of the situation may not be as evident. The situations that could arise with a fractured or chipped tooth are varied in their severity and their risks. If you chip a tooth and it has a rough, jagged edge or corner, this sharp edge could easily cut your tongue and cause a painful injury. If the nerve inside the tooth is exposed by the crack or chip, putting pressure on the tooth could cause even more pain. Because the tooth is already weakened by the fracture, this pressure could also cause greater damage to the tooth, and, if the tooth is also weakened by decay, the damage could be catastrophic as well as painful. Chewing on a chipped or fractured tooth could cause the tooth to break entirely, which is far more painful and more challenging to repair.
When a tooth’s nerve is exposed, the tooth will also be sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Even drinking a simple glass of cool water could cause intense pain, and drinking hot beverages like coffee or tea might be prohibitively painful. When the inner portion of a tooth is exposed, the tooth is also more susceptible to infection and decay. The vital tissues inside a tooth contain nerve endings and blood vessels, and, if these internal tissues become damaged or infected, forming an abscess, the pain could be excruciating, and the infection could spread and pose systemic health risks. Infection inside the tooth can often be fixed with a root canal treatment, which aims to save the tooth and protect it from further infection. If the infection is too severe, however, the tooth may need to be extracted.
It might not seem like your chipped tooth is that serious, but a chip or fracture doesn’t have to be very big or severe to let in disease and infection. Some chipped teeth are barely noticeable, but your dentist can assess the damage during your routine dental checkup and determine whether it’s serious enough to treat. If you’re wondering if your chipped tooth is serious, make sure to ask your dentist. The answer might be no, but only your dentist can tell you for sure, and only your dentist can fix the issue and prevent it from causing pain and greater destruction.
If you have a chipped tooth, reach out to discuss dental bonding and other repair options.