BROKEN TOOTH – WHAT TO DO?
If you have a broken tooth, it constitutes a dental emergency and requires the immediate attention of our dentist in North Hollywood, California, to prevent any further complications.
CAUSES OF BROKEN TOOTH
- The most common reason for a broken tooth is direct trauma to the tooth, which can occur during a fall or a blow to your face.
- Road traffic accidents.
- Bruxism that is the clenching of teeth, puts undue pressure on your teeth. Chronic jaw clenching weakens teeth and makes the tooth susceptible to fracture.
- Biting down on hard substances like candies or trying to open a bottle cap with your teeth.
- Large dental cavities weaken the tooth, making it susceptible to fracture even on minimal trauma or chewing.
- Systemic conditions like acid reflux bring stomach acid to your mouth. This acid weakens tooth enamel making it prone to chipping and breakage.
- Excessive consumption of acidic foods and liquids.
- Large dental fillings.
- Teeth also become weaker with age and tend to crack.
SYMPTOMS OF BROKEN TOOTH
- A broken tooth leaves an uneven rough surface which can be felt when you run your tongue over it.
- Gums around the tooth are swollen and painful.
- Pain on biting down and chewing. The pain increases when you release the bite.
- Sensitivity to hot, cold, and sweet foods and liquids.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE BROKEN YOUR TOOTH?
A fractured or a broken tooth is always at the risk of getting infected as the tooth’s core is now exposed. If it is left untreated, you may end up losing your teeth in the future. Therefore, ensure that you visit our dental clinic located in North Hollywood and consult a dentist with urgency.
If you are in North Hollywood and break your tooth, or the entire tooth comes out, the first thing to do is find the lost tooth part. Make sure you handle it delicately and carefully place it in a container filled with milk. Next, call us at our clinic in North Hollywood, California, and we will schedule an urgent appointment for you. Until then, be careful of what you eat, no hard substances and no hot foods and liquids. If your gums are bleeding, gently bite down on a piece of cotton until you reach our clinic in North Hollywood, California. Traumatized teeth are at a high risk of getting infected, and this infection can also travel to your jaw bone. Therefore, do not delay visiting us at A-Dental Center in North Hollywood, California.
TREATMENT FOR BROKEN TOOTH IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD
In some cases, dentists in North Hollywood, California, may be able to repair a broken tooth with the help of aesthetic tooth-colored dental composite resins.
However, in cases of severe tooth destruction and where the nerves of the tooth have been exposed, dentists in North Hollywood may recommend you opt for root canal treatment followed by a dental crown to restore the shape, size, appearance, and strength of the tooth. Opting for zirconia crowns in North Hollywood that are tooth-colored is not only a conservative approach to repair the broken tooth but is also cosmetically superior and much more appealing.
However, in worst-case scenarios, the cracked tooth may be beyond saving, and the only option is to remove the remaining tooth and replace it with the help of dental bridges or dental implants in North Hollywood, California.