Broken tooth – what to do and how to restore
A crack in the enamel, a fragment or sudden pain when eating hard food – this is how patients most often describe the moment when a tooth breaks. The cause may be trauma, caries, deep microcracks, weakened walls under the filling, worn contacts due to an incorrect bite or nighttime teeth grinding (bruxism), which was left unattended. In some cases, the fragment breaks off without pain, and in others, the pulp is exposed, and the tooth begins to react to cold, touch, and a change in head position.
Restoring a broken tooth at Astra Dent involves 3D diagnostics. The doctor assesses the external damage, the internal condition of the canal, root and surrounding bone tissue. The treatment tactics depend on where the tooth broke off – in the crown, in the neck or below the gums. In some cases, it is enough to apply a composite restoration, and in others, to prepare the tooth for the installation of an inlay, crown or pin, if the root remains viable.
What to do if a tooth breaks?
A tooth fragment is not uncommon in clinical practice. If you consult a dentist in time, the situation can be stabilized without surgical intervention. Fractures that are accompanied by acute pain or exposure of dentin require an examination as soon as possible. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the greater the chance of avoiding complications.
What to do immediately after a chip or crack:
- Do not panic. Such situations occur not only after injuries, but also due to hidden processes in the enamel or under old fillings.
- Rinse your mouth with cool, clean water. This will wash away food debris and reduce the risk of bacteria entering the internal tissues.
- Avoid eating from the damaged side. You should not eat hot, cold, sour and hard foods so as not to increase microcracks and injure the nerve.
- If there is a fragment, keep it. In some cases, the dentist uses your own tissue for restoration.
- In case of pain, take painkillers. Paracetamol or ibuprofen relieve inflammation, but do not replace an examination.
- See a doctor as soon as possible. Even if there is no pain, it is important to check the condition of the pulp and root.
- Do not glue the fragment yourself. Household glue is toxic, and an attempt to connect the parts without preparation will only complicate treatment.
In urgent cases, Astra Dent dentists organize an appointment on the day of the visit. After the examination, they take pictures on a digital radiovisiograph, check the viability of the pulp using electroodontodiagnostics and select a restoration option.
How will Astra Dent Warsaw doctors help if a tooth is broken?
To determine the correct tactics for restoring a tooth, the dentist must take into account the depth of the crack, the load during chewing, contact with antagonists and the overall functionality of the dentition. Even a minor chip requires analysis and an individual approach. This is how Astra Dent specialists in Warsaw work:
- Quick admission (emergencies – the same day). The dental center has a separate slot for urgent cases. In the case of a chip, crack or severe pain, specialists accept patients without prior appointment.
- Modern methods of pain relief. Anesthesia is selected taking into account medical characteristics and is performed using carpule systems (special syringes that provide accurate dosing of anesthetic) with prior application of application gel.
- Restorations that are indistinguishable from a real tooth. For the frontal areas, photopolymers with increased transparency are used, which are adjusted in shade using the VITA Easyshade digital scale. If necessary, ceramic inlays or microveneers are made.
- Patient care and comfort at every stage. After the procedure, the doctor gives written recommendations, and the administrator contacts in 1-2 days to monitor the condition.
- In the center of Warsaw – easy to get to. Astra Dent is located within a 5-minute walk from the Świętokrzyska metro station, there is a parking lot with convenient check-in.
- Ukrainian-speaking team. The patient receives an explanation of each stage of diagnosis and treatment without a language barrier, which reduces the level of stress.
The Astra Dent team works with the functional design of the smile in mind. Dentists do not mask the problem, but return the tooth to resistance to loads.
Causes of tooth fracture
Teeth can withstand chewing loads of up to 80-100 kg per square centimeter. But such strength does not protect against fractures if the enamel is weakened or there are hidden microdamages. Understanding the causes of the problem allows us to properly restore the tooth and prevent repeated damage:
- Mechanical trauma (impact, fall, accident). A sharp point load provokes cracks or fracture, especially in the frontal area.
- A weakened tooth due to caries, filling or canal. Internal cavities reduce the rigidity of the tissues, which makes the tooth vulnerable to load.
- Biting into a hard object. A tooth can break while chewing a bone, nuts, ice or crackers.
- Teeth grinding, incorrect bite. Point overloads and bruxism lead to the accumulation of microcracks, which may not appear for years.
- Old fillings, crowns, composites. Worn materials lose their adhesion to dentin, and their rigidity does not correspond to the natural flexibility of the tooth.
Astra Dent doctors are not limited to an examination. Diagnostics using a radiovisiograph or CBCT are mandatory, which allows you to see microcracks, assess the quality of old restorations and identify risks for neighboring teeth.
What are the types of tooth fractures
The classification of fractures in dentistry is based on the depth and localization of the damage, the involvement of enamel, dentin, pulp or root. In practice, diagnostics at Astra Dent are performed using a microcamera, a spotting image or cone beam tomography (CBCT), which detects non-obvious cracks and the degree of tissue damage:
- A small piece of enamel has broken off. Surface damage that does not reach the dentin is usually not accompanied by pain and can be restored without preparation.
- A crack in the tooth. In a vertical or diagonal direction, the defect can reach the dentin, cause sensitivity or periodic pain when chewing. Often diagnosed only under magnification.
- Broken part with nerve damage. The fragment reaches the pulp, causing acute pain, a reaction to cold. Requires endodontic treatment – removal of the nerve with subsequent filling of the canals.
- Vertical root fracture. The most complex option, which is often accompanied by chronic inflammation, fistulas or tooth mobility. In many cases, requires extraction.
- Complete fracture of the tooth to the gum level. If a healthy root is preserved, restoration is possible using a post structure and crown. However, if the root is cracked, the tooth cannot be saved.
The Astra Dent team comprehensively analyzes each case. Magnifying optics, localized probing, dyes for detecting microcracks and diagnostic images in several projections are used. This allows us to assess the depth of the damage, rule out a root fracture, and choose a restoration method that will be safe in the long term.
What will happen at the doctor's appointment?
A tooth fracture is not always a clear-cut situation. Sometimes the damage looks insignificant, but in fact it affects deep tissues. Therefore, the clinical examination is supplemented with imaging methods. Each case of a chip or crack requires an X-ray evaluation, and in complex cases, a CT scan. At Astra Dent, this is a standard part of the initial visit.
The main stages and treatment options at Astra Dent:
- Examination and X-ray – assessment of the extent of the damage. The doctor assesses whether the pulp is affected, how deep the crack extends, and whether the root is affected. A digital radiovisiograph or CBCT is used for this.
- Determining the restoration method. Based on the clinical picture, the most appropriate solution is selected, taking into account function, aesthetics, and prognosis.
- Filling (if the damage is minor). It is used for superficial chips that do not extend beyond the enamel or superficial dentin.
- Artistic restoration. Allows you to restore the shape and transparency of the tooth in the frontal area using a multilayer technique with color selection.
- Crown installation. The procedure is indicated if a large part of the hard tissue is destroyed. In this case, a zirconium or ceramic structure is used that completely covers the tooth.
- Nerve removal (with deep damage). If the pulp is exposed or there is inflammation, endodontic treatment is performed with cleaning and filling of the canals.
- Implantation – if the tooth cannot be saved. In the event of a root fracture or an injury incompatible with restoration, the tooth is removed and after a certain period a titanium implant with a crown is installed.
At the appointment, the doctor must explain to the patient what options are available and what influences the choice of each of them – the condition of the gums, the load in the bite, the presence of neighboring teeth.
Why it is important not to delay?
Even a small crack or chip can become a source of infection if the problem is left unattended. In such cases, time is of the essence, because lost hours cost the loss of a tooth. The sooner the patient turns to us, the easier and cheaper the treatment:
- An open tooth is a risk of infection, pain and further complications. The ingress of saliva, food debris and microbes into the pulp or canal provokes pulpitis, periodontitis and the formation of cysts.
- The sooner you address us, the less loss and expense. In the early stages, non-invasive intervention is possible, while prolapse forces us to resort to depulpation or implantation.
- It is possible to save a tooth even after serious damage. Modern microendodontics, pin fixation, the use of adhesive systems allow us to save a tooth that would have had to be removed a few years ago.
Astra Dent specialists make decisions quickly. Diagnosis and treatment can be performed on the same day, if the clinical situation allows. Timely intervention plays a decisive role in preserving the living tissues of the tooth and preventing complications.
How to make an appointment at Astra Dent?
If a crack has formed or a tooth has broken off, do not postpone your visit to the doctor. Astra Dent will see you very quickly, using modern diagnostics and materials. Consultation is possible on the day of your appointment.
To make an appointment, choose a convenient method:
- e-mail: info@astradent.pl;
- phone: +48 533 599 552;
- online form: leave a request on the website astradent.pl.
You can schedule an appointment for an exact hour without queues and delays. Call or text us so that we can find the nearest available time and provide all the necessary information.
