Broken tooth repair, what can I expect?

I’m in need of broken tooth repair, what’s next?

If you are in need of broken tooth repair your next move should be calling one of Dr. Thomas L. Anderson and Associates three convenient locations for a same day dental emergency appointment. Once you arrive to our office and we find the source of your tooth pain, it’s time to make a decision together on how to resolve the problem.  There are different ways to repair a broken tooth, and we always want our patients to know all of their options so they can make an informed decision on how to deal with this type of dental treatment.

If the tooth is broken into the nerve chamber of the tooth, saving the tooth with a root canal and crown is the best treatment whenever possible.  A lot of patients will ask, “Why can’t we just pull the tooth?”  While having the tooth removed will clean up the infection and pain, it will start to cause more problems down the road.  When a tooth is removed we lose bone supporting the adjacent teeth, the teeth start drifting in to fill spaces leading to malocclusion problems, and super eruption of opposing teeth.  If a tooth must be removed, it is always advised to replace the missing tooth in one of the following ways. 

Dental implants are the best treatment to fill a gap caused by a missing tooth because they look, function, and feel like a natural tooth.  The downside to having an implant placed is the time it takes for healing.  It can take over a year and many trips to your dentist to have an implant placed. 

Another option is to place a non-removable bridge.  A bridge is made up of two or more crowns “bridging” the gap with a false tooth.  These are often great for filling in the space, but they have downsides too.  Bridges need crowns to support them, so often times the teeth supporting the bridge did not need to be reduced.  By choosing an implant, surrounding healthy teeth do not need to be damaged. 

Lastly, spaces can be filled with a removable partial denture.  This is an appliance that consists of replacement teeth attached to a gum-colored base.  There are also downsides to choosing this alternative.  Partial dentures clasp on to the other healthy teeth, and put strain on them.  This strain often causes problems to the teeth supporting the partial denture.  Not to mention how much patients dislike having a foreign appliance in their mouth that they have to take in and out. 

This is why when patient come in and tell us, “My tooth hurts; I just want you to pull it out!”  We will always go over other treatment options as well, because there is no adequate replacement for a natural tooth!  Whenever you are in need of broken tooth repair, but the tooth is not hurting please don’t wait to make an appointment with your dentist.  Prolonging your visit to fix your broken tooth can make the symptoms get worse, causing more difficult treatment. 

Related Article: Are You Suffering from a Broken Tooth?

Often times when teeth are chipped and broken tooth repair is sought out quickly, a simple tooth-colored filling can fix the problem.  So don’t delay, call one of our three offices and make your appointment. Our expert team is always here when you need us.