Oh Snap! 6 Essential Steps to Take If You Chip a Tooth

While playing a friendly game of pickup basketball with your buddies, you get a sudden elbow to the mouth. Once the initial pain goes away, you realize a small part of your front tooth has chipped off. What should you do now? Keep reading to learn six important steps you need to take if you suffer a chipped tooth.

Don’t Panic!

Immediately after your dental injury, panic can start to set in. After all, your smile has just been significantly damaged! Although experiencing a dental emergecy can be stressful and even painful, try to stay calm. Slow down so you can fully assess the situation, and remember that the issue can and will be resolved.

Call Your Dentist

Once you understand what has happened to your tooth, call your dentist’s office for an urgent appointment. They may have same-day appointments available, meaning you can be seen as soon as possible. They can also give you guidance about what to do until you arrive for the emergency visit.

Find the Piece of Your Tooth

Likely, your dentist will tell you to try to locate the bit of tooth that has chipped off. In some cases, they can reattach it with a cement-like bonding material. In others, the piece of tooth cannot be joined with the tooth, but you should still bring it to the dentist’ office if you can for examination.

Protect Your Mouth

When a tooth becomes chipped, often the surface left behind can be jagged, sharp, or pointed. As a result, it could pose a risk to your gums, cheeks, and tongue. To avoid cutting your soft tissues, you can cover the chipped tooth with sugar-free gum or dental wax.

Understand Your Treatment Options

While you may wish to rush and make your smile whole again, it’s important that you fully understand the treatments that are available to you. In the case of a chipped tooth, your dentist may recommend a dental crown, veneer, or bonding, depending on the extent of the damage and other factors. They can explain more about these various options, but make sure you ask any questions you have so that you can make the best decision for your tooth.

Learn From This Experience

Once the dentist has fixed your chipped tooth, you’ll probably feel relieved and want to move on from the whole experience. However, unless you try to take some lessons from it, a similar situation could happen again. For instance, if you suffered a chipped tooth because you were hit in the face while playing a sport, you could wear a mouthguard from now on to prevent it from reoccurring in the future.

Chipping a tooth is never fun, but if you follow these steps, your smile will be back to full function and appearance as quickly as possible. And, with precautions and luck, you may avoid having to go through it again!

 About the Practice

Creative Dental Concepts of CNY is proud to have two highly experienced and trained dentists on staff. Dr. Gregory Craybas and Dr. Donald Crumb have decades of clinical expertise under their belts, and they can provide same-day appointments for emergency patients. Flexible financing is also offered to make treatment affordable. If you have a dental emergency like a chipped tooth, don’t hesitate to reach out online or call the Syracuse office at 315-475-6641.