A chipped tooth is among the most frequent oral problems, which can occur at any time. Chipping happens when a part of your tooth's enamel fractures. There are various ways you can damage a tooth. These include falling, an auto accident, or biting a hard object. You may notice that your tooth has chipped if there is a rough or sharp edge on the enamel. Tooth chipping may seem like a minor issue. However, it can cause severe oral health complications.
When you fail to treat a chipped tooth, bacteria can enter it. Tooth decay and other dental problems can result from the bacteria. At times, the chips could cause irreparable damage, leading to loss of the tooth. The steps you take after a chipped tooth can dictate the outcome of your oral health. When you follow these steps, you can save your tooth and avoid complications:
Stay Calm and Check the Damage
A tooth chip can happen during a fall, an auto accident, or when you bite a hard object. Experiencing a chipped tooth can be distressing. However, you should stay calm so that you can make the right decisions. Immediately after the accident, you should take a moment to examine the tooth carefully. You may notice that the tooth is chipped if there is a rough patch when you touch the enamel with your tongue. Other symptoms you can look out for during the examination include:
- Pain. Sometimes, the tooth chips on the surface. In other cases, the damage can extend to the inner part of the tooth that contains nerves. In this case, you can experience severe pain.
- Bleeding. If a chipped tooth brushes against the tongue or the mouth tissues, it can cause bleeding in the mouth. Therefore, try to spit to determine whether there is any bleeding.
- Swelling. The trauma that caused the chipping can cause gum swelling around the affected tooth.
- A loose tooth. If the impact on the tooth was too much, you may notice that it will become loose.
- Missing pieces. A missing part of the tooth enamel is the most common sign of a chipped tooth.
A small chip may only affect the outer enamel. However, a larger chip may expose deeper layers of the tooth, requiring urgent treatment. After examining the chipped tooth, you should check nearby teeth and soft tissues. Sometimes the chipped tooth can cause injuries to the gums, lips, or cheeks. Therefore, you should examine them for damage too. When you understand the extent of the damage, you can properly explain the situation to your dentist.
Rinse Your Mouth With Warm Water
After checking for possible damage, you should rinse your mouth gently with warm water. This helps to remove blood, tooth fragments, and dirt particles. A clean mouth reduces irritation. Also, it helps to protect the injured area from infection. To rinse your mouth, you can swish water gently. Aggressive rinsing can cause discomfort to the injured tissues. Therefore, you should be careful during this step.
If you experience bleeding or you feel tooth fragments in the mouth, you may need to rinse multiple times. This helps you to assess the extent of the damage correctly. Extreme temperatures may increase sensitivity in the damaged tooth. Therefore, dentists recommend that you rinse your mouth with warm water.
When rinsing your mouth after a chipped tooth, you should avoid using mouthwashes that contain alcohol. Alcohol may cause a stinging sensation in the injured area, which can cause further discomfort. If the chip happens while eating, small food particles may become trapped around the damaged tooth. Therefore, you should rise to remove the particles while you await professional treatment.
Find and Save Any Broken Pieces
If you break a piece of your tooth, you should find it and keep it safe. Many people throw the fragments away without realizing that they may be useful. When you locate a piece of broken enamel, you should handle it carefully and rinse it with clean water. If you are at home, you can place the tooth fragment in a clean container with milk or a saline solution.
When you visit your dentist, you should bring the fragment with you. Depending on the extent of the chip, your dentist can reattach the piece to your natural tooth. Even when reattaching the chipped part is impractical, the dentist can use the broken part to assess the extent of damage.
If the chip occurs while eating, the broken piece may still be inside your mouth. Therefore, you should check your mouth carefully before swallowing. After finding the particle, you should avoid using harsh cleaners or chemicals to clean it. If the fragment is dirty, you can rinse it with plain water.
Stop Any Bleeding
If you suffer a chipped tooth from trauma to the mouth or jaw, you may experience bleeding. In this case, bleeding can come from the lips, gums, or cheeks.
If you notice bleeding, you can use clean gauze and apply gentle pressure on the affected area. Low pressure can help stop bleeding without causing further injury. Unless the gauze is soaked, you should not keep touching the area with your tongue or fingers. This is because touching the area can disturb the clot and slow down the healing.
You should sit upright while applying pressure. When you keep your head elevated, you can reduce the risk of continued bleeding. Sometimes, physical activity can increase blood flow and prolong bleeding. Therefore, you should remain calm and still. While using gauze, place it directly over the injury site. Should your gauze get wet, then change it to a fresh one. In case bleeding happens following the chipping of your tooth, you should refrain from:
- Spitting forcefully
- Using a straw
- Rinsing aggressively
- Touching the affected area
These actions can interfere with clot formation and delay healing. A small amount is normal after a dental injury. Nevertheless, if the bleeding is heavy, you should visit your dentist immediately. If the bleeding reduces or stops on its own, it is still advisable to take precautionary measures to avoid further damage that may lead to a recurrence of the bleed.
Apply a Cold Compress
Sometimes, swelling can develop after a dental injury. You can reduce the swelling, pain, and discomfort by applying a cold compress. To achieve this, you can wrap an ice pack in a thin cloth and place it against the outside of your cheek. A common approach to applying a cold compress is to place the ice pack for 15 minutes, rest for 15 minutes, and repeat.
Cold treatment is most effective if initiated immediately following an injury. Should swelling persist despite cold treatment, one should consult their dentist. Cold compresses are effective at slowing blood flow to injured areas. Applying a cold compress means not placing the ice directly on your skin. The reason is that ice can cause cold burns.
Instead, the best way would be to apply it to the cheeks with a clean cloth. If you don’t have an ice pack, use frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. To ensure the treatment is effective, you need to apply cold compresses throughout the day. Application of cold therapy may be useful if the injury occurred due to:
- A fall
- A sports accident
- A collision
- A blow to the face
These injuries often affect both the tooth and the surrounding tissues. A cold compress helps reduce discomfort. However, it does not replace professional treatment. Therefore, you should arrange a dental appointment as soon as possible.
Protect Sharp or Rough Edges
A chipped tooth often leaves behind a rough edge. The area can irritate your lips, tongue, and cheeks. Every time you speak or consume food, the razor edge may come into contact with the soft tissue in your mouth. Until you visit your dentist for a better fix to the problem, you can protect your teeth by using dental wax or chewy sugar-free gum. You can place the shield over the sharp razor edge to smooth its surface. Protecting the edges will help you prevent cuts and make tasks easier.
Repeated contact between the rough edge and your tongue or cheeks can quickly irritate. Sometimes, you may develop sores that could lead to an oral infection. You should also avoid the following habits that may worsen the damage:
- Running your tongue over the chip
- Picking at the tooth with your fingers
- Biting hard foods
- Clenching your teeth
Manage Pain and Sensitivity
Some chipped teeth are immediately painful, and this pain may be mild or severe depending on the severity of the chip. In other cases, you may feel pain while eating or drinking hot, cold, or sweet foods and drinks. Sensitivity occurs because a chip exposes parts of the tooth that are normally covered by enamel. The tooth may respond strongly to temperature changes and certain foods. Even breathing in cold air may cause discomfort in some cases.
You can manage the pain from a chipped tooth using over-the-counter pain relievers. Also, you should focus on soft foods that do not strain the enamel. These include:
- Yogurt
- Applesauce
- Mashed potatoes
- Oatmeal
- Scrambled eggs
When you take the right steps to manage pain, you can stay comfortable until your appointment. You should pay attention to activities that trigger pain. Also, keep the area clean. Food trapped around the chipped tooth may increase sensitivity and worsen discomfort. Pain medication can provide temporary relief for a chipped tooth. However, it does not address the underlying problem. A chipped tooth will need a professional evaluation and treatment.
Monitor for Emergency Warning Signs
After a chipped tooth, you will need to visit your dentist for treatment. While you wait for your dental appointment, you can monitor the injured areas in the mouth. Emergency dental treatment may be required in the following cases where you have experienced chipping of your tooth:
- Severe pain
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Loosening of the tooth
- Formation of pus on the tooth
- Inability to open the mouth wide
These signs point towards serious damage and infection. If left untreated, it can lead to serious dental problems.
Contact Your Dentist Immediately
You must contact your dentist even if you have a minor chip in your tooth. When you contact him, let your dentist know how the accident occurred. In addition, you may share your symptoms with your dentist. The symptoms you are having will determine the urgency of your visit to the dentist.
During an assessment, the dentist can also check for hidden damage that may not be visible during a home examination. Some injuries do not cause obvious symptoms. Therefore, delaying seeking treatment can increase the risk of complications. When visiting your dentist, bring the piece of your chipped tooth. During your appointment, the dentist will perform the following:
- A visual examination
- Dental X-rays
- Sensitivity tests
- Bite assessments
After examining the damaged tooth and the surrounding area, the dentist can determine the best course of treatment. For instance, if there is just a small chip on your tooth, the dentist can put the tooth back in place.
Find a Reliable Dentist Near Me
A chipped tooth may seem like a small problem. However, you should not ignore it. You can chip your tooth from trauma to the jaw or after biting a hard object. When you take the right steps, you can protect the tooth and reduce the risk of further damage. Immediately after suffering the injury, you should keep calm and rinse your mouth. This helps you determine whether there is any bleeding.
If there are significant broken pieces, you can save them and store them in a saline solution. When you wait to schedule a dental appointment, you should ensure that any injured part of your mouth remains protected. While you may not avoid eating and drinking during this period, you should focus on soft foods. If you have chipped a tooth, do not delay seeking professional care.
At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we offer top-notch dental services to our clients in Encino, CA. Call us at 818-751-5100 today to schedule a consultation.
