What Should You Do When a Tooth Breaks or Chips?
If a piece of your tooth breaks off, try to save the fragment in milk or water. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to clean the area. If there is bleeding, press a piece of gauze against the spot for about 10 minutes. A cold compress on the outside of your cheek can help reduce swelling.
Avoid chewing on the side of the broken tooth. If a sharp edge is cutting your tongue or cheek, you can cover it temporarily with dental wax or sugar-free gum until you see us.
Call (240) 387-8233 right away. Even a small chip can expose the inner layers of the tooth, and bacteria can reach the nerve if the break is not sealed quickly.
How Do We Repair a Broken or Chipped Tooth?
Treatment depends on how much of the tooth is damaged.
Small chips: We smooth the rough edge and apply tooth-coloured composite bonding. This takes about 30 minutes, requires no anaesthesia, and looks completely natural. The bonding material is shaped and polished to match the surrounding teeth.
Moderate breaks: When a larger portion of the tooth is missing, we may need to place a dental crown. This is a cap that covers the entire visible portion of the tooth, restoring its shape, strength, and appearance. We prepare the tooth, take impressions, and can often fit a temporary crown the same day.
Severe breaks: If the break extends to the root or exposes the nerve, a root canal may be needed before the tooth can be crowned. In rare cases where the root is fractured vertically, extraction and replacement with an implant may be the best option.
We show you the damage on our digital X-ray and explain exactly what repair will accomplish before we begin.
What Causes Teeth to Break?
Teeth break for a handful of reasons, and understanding them can help you prevent future fractures.
Biting hard objects: Ice cubes, hard candy, popcorn kernels, and pen caps are common culprits. Your teeth are strong, but they are not designed to crush ice or open packaging.
Old, large fillings: Amalgam fillings placed years ago can weaken the surrounding tooth structure over time. The metal expands and contracts with temperature changes, creating microscopic cracks that eventually give way.
Trauma: A fall, a sports injury, or an accidental blow to the face can break even a perfectly healthy tooth. Wearing a mouthguard during sports significantly reduces this risk.
Grinding and clenching: Bruxism, often unconscious and happening during sleep, puts enormous force on your teeth. Over months and years, this stress creates fracture lines. If you grind your teeth, a night guard can protect them.
Weakened tooth structure: Teeth with large cavities, root canals without crowns, or extensive previous dental work are more prone to fracture.
Will My Repaired Tooth Look Normal?
Yes. Modern dental materials, both composite bonding and porcelain crowns, are colour-matched to your natural teeth. We take time to select the exact shade that blends with the teeth around it.
Composite bonding is sculpted directly onto your tooth and polished to match the natural surface texture. Most people cannot tell which tooth was repaired.
Porcelain crowns are custom-made to replicate the shape, size, and translucency of your original tooth. They are durable, stain-resistant, and designed to last 10 to 15 years or more with good care.
Our patients from Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and throughout Montgomery County regularly tell us they forget which tooth was the broken one.
Can a Broken Tooth Wait Until Monday?
It depends. A very small cosmetic chip with no pain can wait a day or two, though we still recommend calling to schedule an appointment.
However, if the break exposes the inner layers of the tooth (you might see a pink or dark spot, or feel sensitivity to air), has a sharp edge cutting your mouth, causes constant throbbing pain, or comes with swelling, you should seek treatment right away.
Delaying treatment on a significant break gives bacteria a path into the nerve. What starts as a simple crown can become a root canal or extraction if infection takes hold.
Emergency Dentist of Rockville is available when you need us. Call (240) 387-8233 and we will advise you on whether your situation requires immediate care or can safely wait for a scheduled appointment.
