There are certain circumstances that can apply such unnatural force that it can chip one or more of your teeth. This is even more likely if you have a bad habit of nibbling on things, like pencils and pens, or if you frequently use your teeth as tools.
Even if a chip doesn’t cause pain, you should not delay treatment. This is potentially dangerous because the chipped enamel will inevitably invite bacteria to exploit it. This could result in a new area of tooth decay setting into already compromised tooth enamel.
With this in mind, your dentist, Dr. Lee J. Cowles, DMD, encourages patients to have any chipped tooth addressed.
The severity of the chip will largely influence the treatment and repair options that he recommends.
A minor chip can often be repaired with a basic filling or cosmetic bonding procedure. If one or more of the teeth in your smile have chips, he might recommend having porcelain dental veneers installed over the face of each tooth.
If a chip is significant or if it’s in a critical part of a tooth, Dr. Lee J. Cowles, DMD might recommend replacing the tooth enamel with a crown made from either porcelain, gold or base metal alloy.
In extreme cases, a chipped tooth might also result in damage to the interior pulp. If this is the case, Dr. Lee J. Cowles, DMD might need to perform a root canal to restore the damaged structures before mounting a crown.
If you have one more chipped teeth in Portland, Oregon, you should not delay in contacting Cowles Dental Care at 503-255-1506 to have it treated and repaired.
