Frequently Asked Questions

Injuries

Date Posted: 12/1/2001

Question What can be done?

Answer Small chips broken from teeth do not normally require urgent treatment. Often your dentist will just need to smooth the rough edges, or if the chips are larger, repair them with some tooth coloured resin. Make sure you try to find all the broken bits as some pieces can be re-bonded to the tooth with excellent results. A tooth that has more than a small piece fractured needs careful assessment. If the tooth is acutely sensitive to breathing air, this is usually a sign that the fracture is deep and needs urgent care. Once the fracture is covered by a protective layer, the sensitivity usually subsides. Your dentist should assess loose permanent teeth. An x-ray will often be taken of the tooth to rule out the possibility that the root has been fractured. If the tooth is very loose, your dentist may need to splint the tooth to the neighbouring teeth to stabilise it while the injury heals. Teeth that have been displaced are easiest for your dentist to reposition very soon after the injury, so it is best to seek immediate treatment.

More questions in this category:

Injuries Introduction
What do I do first?
What if a tooth is broken, loose or missing?
What can be done?
Will a root canal be necessary?