Chipping Teeth

A dental injury is commonly caused by trauma or damage to the face or mouth which causes damage to your teeth and the surrounding area. Teeth being chipped is amongst the most common types of dental injury. Whilst most teeth which have been chipped can be fixed with a simple filling there are some cases where this isn't possible. Your teeth are made up of a core of nerves and blood vessels in what is known as the pulp. If your tooth injury is serious the pulp may be damaged and blood vessels can begin to die. Some exposures of the pulp are treatable by fillings but in many cases root canal treatment is required to remove any damaged nerves or blood vessels from your tooth.

Treatment

Fillings - When undergoing a filling treatment your dentist first needs to clean the decay away and fill in the area of the tooth that was damaged. This requires the use of a dental filling, a kind of dental restoration which is used to fix lightly damaged teeth and other problems associated with tooth decay and dental Injury. One of the most common dental injuries, the chipping of teeth, can often result in increased tooth sensitivity. Undergoing the filling procedure can usually greatly improve if not completely fix any sensitivity issues once the filling materials are in place. However sometimes filling your teeth won't be sufficient to correct the damage and so you may also require a number of other dental procedures including crowns, implants, bridges or a root canal treatment. During the procedure you'll first need to undergo a thorough oral examination so that your dentist can assess the extent of the damage. Following your examination, the tooth in question is prepared and then any decay is removed using surgical tools or a laser before the area is thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning enables your dentist to remove any remaining bacteria and any food debris before proceeding with the filling procedure. Before applying any material to the area your dentist must firstly isolate your tooth. This is important as it will prevent any moisture from impeding the bonding procedure which could cause serious problems. After isolation your tooth your dentist will initially apply adhesives to the affected area before placing the composite material. This will then be hardened using a special light source which encourages bonding and will leave your with a natural looking restoration. The average life span of your fillings depends on the materials used with about 12 years for traditional amalgam fillings and seven years for composite fillings.

Root canal - The Root canal in your mouth are hollow channels which reach right from the bottom of the tooth's roots all the way up to the central chamber of the tooth. The root canal is usually performed under local anesthetics, meaning you will be unconscious throughout. The first stage of the treatment is to thoroughly clean the damaged parts of your tooth.

Once your dentist has exposed the pulp chamber, more anesthetic may be applied directly onto the tooth's nerve to prevent any more discomfort and pain. The next stage is to remove the affected tissue located in the pulp chamber and eliminate any nerve tissue which remains in the root canals. Once everything has been cleaned and all the affected tissue is gone your root canal will be widened slightly and your pulp chamber straightened which will help prepare it to be filled. The inside of your tooth will be cleaned thoroughly and a temporary filling will then be used to close over the opening, this will be removed in your next visit. During your proceeding visit your dentist will then take the temporary filling away and fill up the pulp chamber. Your tooth will then be repaired with a crown or filling and your dentist will make some checks for any potential complications like infections.

Prevention

If you play contact sports, particularly those that put you at an increased risk (like cricket, hockey, boxing or rugby) then to help protect against dental injury it's wise to purchase a mouth guard. This offers great protection and minimises the chances of your developing a dental injury. Although mouth guards are available in shops, it's often better to have one custom made by your dentist. A mould of your teeth will be taken using a specialised dental putty and the mouth guard is custom made from this.