Chipped Tooth Repair and Costs

Dentists know how to fix a chipped tooth fairly easily, but it’s one of those things that you won’t be able to deal with yourself. While you can try and insert a tooth that has been knocked out back into your mouth in order to allow it to regrow, fixing a chipped tooth takes care and precision. You’ll have to visit your dentist, and they’ll let you know how to fix a chipped tooth.

How To Handle A Chipped Front Tooth

A chipped front tooth can be quite painful, but the good news is that it’s a lot easier to handle a chipped tooth than you might think – no matter where in your mouth it is. Remember, a tooth that is broken or knocked out can be implanted back into the gum, and you can home that it will reattach to the gum. However, a chipped tooth is very different, and you will need to know how to handle the chipped from tooth properly. The first thing you should do is pick up the tooth, and take a moment to wash it off. Find a clean container to store it in – preferably an airtight one, and add a bit of milk or saliva to the container. This will help to keep it moisturized, which will prevent it from drying out. If you do this, there may be a chance that the tooth can be repaired properly.

Methods of Fixing a Chipped Tooth

The most common method of fixing a chipped tooth is using a composite resin on the exterior of the tooth. This is usually used when the chip isn’t so deep that the nerves have been mangled or damaged, but just the structure of the tooth has had a bit chipped off. You will find that the composite resins can be some of the most effective solutions for dealing with a chipped tooth.

The resin will easily bond with almost any teeth, provided they are healthy. The resin is usually applied after the dentist has sanded the tooth down, as the rough surface makes it easier for the resin to adhere – much like wood is sanded down before being painted. You will find that the resin will actually bond with the enamel of the tooth, and it will look and feel like one solid tooth.

While silver and other metals have often been used as a filling for broken or chipped teeth, a composite resin will appear much better, will be easier and more conservative to prepare, and more of the tooth is used for the purpose of the restoration. While the tooth has to be filed down to allow the silver cap or filling to be placed, the composite resin will bond with the tooth easily – leaving it intact.

The great thing about this resin is that it can be colored to match teeth, and they can look very real if they are done right. The resin tends to be fairly inexpensive, and the repair is usually completed fairly quickly. A chipped tooth can be repaired in a matter of a few minutes, all thanks to this amazing resin!

Chipped Tooth Cost

Chipped tooth repair can be very simple, but the chipped tooth cost may vary. There are a few things that will affect the cost of your chipped tooth repair:

Location – Some states will have higher medical fees than others, so dentists and doctors will charge higher fees for their services.

Severity – The severity of the chip in the tooth may require a much more complex process in order to repair the chipped tooth, and that will determine just how much it will cost you.

Dentist — Some dentists charge higher prices for their services, while others provide quality services at a lower price. It’s all about finding the right dentist to do the job.

The repair will tend to vary, and the amount of repair necessary will depend on the severity of the damage:

Minor Damage Cost

For minor damage to the teeth, a simple bonding or filling may be all that’s needed. If part of your tooth has been chipped off but the nerves aren’t damaged, you may be able to get the chip bonded back to your teeth. Using a composite resin to fill the chipped part of the tooth should be fairly quick and easy, and it will be an economical option.

A Filling is used when the front tooth has only been slightly chipped, and the damage is just to the exterior of the tooth. The dentist will usually file down the tooth, and they will use a bit of filling to make it look like a normal tooth once more. The filling will be much easier to break, but at least your tooth will look normal without needing to go through a surgery.

The cost of doing the minor repairs will depend on the dentist, but you will find that the bonding and the filling with cost anywhere between $100 and $250.

Cost for Serious Damage

If the tooth has been damaged more seriously, you may have to get a crown to cover the tooth. The crown will be a dental cap that will cover the nerve endings, and it will be bonded to the teeth using dental glue. The cost of the crown can be anywhere from $800 to $1100, though the price will vary from dentist to dentist.

Root Canal is needed if the tooth has been chipped all the way to the and blood vessels in the middle of the teeth. They are much more difficult to repair, and will just be removed by the root canal. The tooth may actually be extracted as well, or it will have the pulp taken out and will just be covered with a filling or a crown. It’s more painful and expensive, but it’s the only solution if the tooth is very badly damaged.

Should a root canal be necessary, it will definitely increase the price. The cost of doing the root canal surgery to extract the damaged nerve endings and blood vessels will cost upwards of $1500, though it shouldn’t be too much more than $2000 for the surgery.

How To Ease Cracked Tooth Pain

If you have a tooth that is broken or chipped, chances are it is going to be pretty painful. Cracked tooth pain is very bad, and it gets even worse if you have a broken tooth that has the nerve in the middle exposed. Even if the tooth is only slightly damaged, it can be painful if you don’t care for it. Here are some things to do to deal with the pain:

• Take a Pain Reliever – Acetaminophen is one of the best drugs that you can take to relieve the pain of a cracked tooth, and many doctors will actually recommend that you get some of these painkillers. Make sure to only take them if the pain is very bad.
• Avoid Hot and Cold – Drinks and foods that are both very hot and very cold will be very painful, especially if the nerve ending in the middle of the tooth is exposed. The same is true for anything that has a high sugar content, has alcohol in it, or has lots of acid.
• Try Eugenol – The oil extracted from cloves is one of the best antiseptic and anesthetic remedies that you can find to deal with cracked tooth pain, and it is often used in dental applications. You can soak a cotton ball in the oil, and use a pair of tweezers to apply it to your tooth for 10 seconds at a time.
• Rinse Your Mouth with Salt Water – Salt water will help to flush out all of the bacteria in your mouth, which is important if you have a cracked tooth. The cracked teeth will be much more likely to get infected than healthy teeth, so rinsing can help to get rid of the bacteria.
• Sleep with Your Head Raised – If you have to sleep with a cracked tooth, you may want to sleep with your head elevated. It will prevent the blood from flowing to the damaged tooth, which will stop it from swelling up. It’s the inflammation that’s the most painful part of the broken tooth, so preventing swelling by raising your head is the way to go.

Types of Tooth Chips

There are a number of ways to fix chipped tooth problems, and you will find that fixing a chipped tooth may be easier than you think:

• Craze Lines –These lines are basically just small cracks in the surface of the teeth, and there isn’t any of the tooth chipped off. These cracks will only affect the enamel of the teeth, and thus they are much easier to repair. They shouldn’t need any treatment, but a simple polish of the tooth can help to eliminate any rough areas.
• Cracks – If the tooth actually cracks, the crack will usually spread to the center of the tooth where the nerve endings and blood vessels are located. The tooth will stay in your mouth, but the crack will grow until it splits the tooth. The cracks can be filled, though you may have to get the cracked part removed and have a crown made in order to prevent further damage to your tooth.
• Chips – When the tooth gets chipped, usually a small part of the enamel is broken off the outside of the tooth. The smaller chips are easily repaired with a simple polish and filling, though the broken part of the tooth can be re-bonded to the tooth if it is in good condition. Very small chips can be sanded out and polished to hide the damage.
• Broken Cusp – If the chip is bad enough, it may damage the part of the teeth that you use for chewing – the cusp. They may not be painful and won’t usually affect the nerve, but it can be sharp and will need to be repaired. A crown is often used, though an onlay is another option.
• Major Breaks or Splits –If the problem is more serious, it may call for surgery to deal with it. A break or chip that is the result of decay will usually be more problematic, and may call for the tooth to be extracted and an artificial one put in place. If the tooth isn’t removed, the cavity will be extracted and the tooth will be filled. A root canal may be needed to deal with serious damage to the nerve endings.

If you find yourself with a chipped tooth, you should take immediate steps to visit your dentist. The tooth can become quite painful, especially if it has been chipped all the way to the nerves and pulp in the middle. It can become infected if you eat foods and don’t wash your teeth properly, so make sure to brush and rinse carefully.