Broken teeth are nothing to laugh at. In fact, dental pain from broken teeth can be as painful as it gets! It actually depends on the degree of chipping and if you’ve exposed a nerve. However, even a small chip can lead to much larger problems if you don’t see to it right away. If you are suffering from a chipped tooth, here are some steps to take to ensure you get that tooth seen to as quickly as possible.
Immediate Dental First Aid
The first thing you should do upon noticing that you’ve chipped a tooth is to rinse your mouth thoroughly with an antiseptic mouth wash. This will help to prevent bacteria from causing an infection right away. As a matter of fact, it is recommended that you rinse your mouth frequently throughout the day until you are seen by a dentist. If you’ve chipped the tooth deeply enough to expose soft tissue and nerves, you will need to take every precaution to avoid infections even from the foods you eat.
Get in with an Emergency Dentist
In most areas of the UK, NHS dentists are booked far out in the future. It is the same as when you need to get in quickly with your NHS healthcare provider. The system is overwhelmed so you might need to find a private dentist close to where you live. These will often see you much faster and they are located in all areas of the country. So then, if you live in the East Midlands, you can always look for an emergency dentist Lutterworth or nearby towns. In fact, you might have better luck in less populated areas of England.
Decide on a Repair Procedure
Although the immediate concern is to get in with the dentist as quickly as possible to prevent infection and to find ways of controlling pain and further damage to that tooth, you will need to decide on how to repair the tooth at the next appointment. Choices you have include:
• Crowns
• Caps
• Veneers
• Fillings
• Bonds
These are the most common procedures for fixing a chipped or broken tooth depending on how badly it is damaged and what tooth it happens to be. Front teeth will most often need a cosmetic dental procedure whereas molars might simply need to be filled or capped.
Prevention Going Forward
Once you have seen to that tooth you chipped, it is important to discover ways to prevent chipping or breaking other teeth in your mouth. Common causes of chips and breaks include injuries during a sports game, chewing hard foods, trying to open bottles with your teeth and tearing plastic wrap off products. If you’ve damaged your teeth during a rough football match you might want to consider tooth guards the next time you are on the field. Literally any sport can result in damage to your teeth, so talk to your dentist to see what kind of tooth or mouth guards can help you prevent another mishap in the future. Preventative measures can save a lot of money and pain, so take it seriously if you don’t want a repeat visit next month.