Dental Treatments For A Frequently Chipping Tooth

Teeth are made of a fairly strong material called dentin. But trauma, decay, and genetic predisposition can all make a tooth's dentin prone to chipping. Small chips are fairly easy to treat or can be left alone if not causing any pain. But a frequently chipping tooth or teeth might need a more advanced treatment.

Here are a few of the potential dental treatments for frequently chipping teeth. Discuss your options during your next cosmetic dentistry or general dentistry appointment.

Strong Dental Crown

A dental crown can form a protective shell for a vulnerable tooth. But if your tooth is frequently chipping, it's likely a tooth that takes on a lot of bite force such as your molars. So it's important to use a strong dental crown material or you'll only risk also chipping the crown.

The strongest dental crowns are made of metal whether that be the obviously metallic gold crown or the more natural looking white zirconia crown. Zirconia is natural looking compared to gold but still isn't as natural looking as an all-porcelain crown. A middle ground offering is a zirconia-backed porcelain crown, which combines both the strength of the metal and the natural look of the porcelain.

For rear teeth such as a molar, consider using an all-metal filling even if you need to go with a gold or silver amalgam. No one else will notice the metal back in the depths of your mouth. Save the metal-backed porcelain crown for the forward teeth that are more noticeable to others.

Bond

Do your teeth keep experiencing surface chips regardless of your oral healthcare? Your dentist might recommend a dental bond rather than a crown.

For dental bonding, the dentist will lightly sand the surface of the tooth to help the bonding material adhere. The tooth-colored bonding material is then painted on and shaped to best cover and protect the tooth. A special light is then used to cause the bond to harden.

A bond is better than a crown in situations where the tooth needs some gentle reshaping or sits too closely to a neighboring tooth for a crown to fit comfortably.

Veneer

Repeated chips can happen because the dentin simply isn't strong enough anymore to withstand any degree of pressure. This means that the dentin can also fail to create a suitable foundation for a crown or bond to adhere. That's where a veneer can come in.

A veneer involves creating a new artificial tooth shell around the remaining natural tooth root. Your dentist will shave down the rest of the tooth and carefully craft the tooth-colored veneer to match your other natural teeth. The veneer is stronger than a bond or a crown as the veneer isn't as reliant on the natural tooth's strength.

For professional dental services, contact an office such as Carolina Forest Family Dentistry.