A chip off a tooth can mean anything from a cosmetic nuisance to a tooth that will not survive the week. The visible piece that broke off tells you surprisingly little. What matters is how deep the fracture runs and what is exposed.
Here is how to judge it.
Treat it as urgent if
- There is constant or severe pain. Particularly pain that lingers after hot or cold, throbs, or wakes you at night. That suggests the pulp is involved.
- You can see pink or red at the fracture site. That is exposed pulp tissue and it needs same-day attention.
- A large piece has broken off, especially if the fracture runs below the gum line.
- There is swelling in the gum or face. Facial swelling that is spreading, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing, is a hospital matter, not a dental one.
- The tooth is mobile or has moved. Repositioning is easier before the tissues settle.
- The edge is lacerating your tongue or cheek. Manageable overnight with dental wax, but not for days.
It can usually wait a few days if
- The chip is small and confined to enamel.
- There is no pain, or only mild sensitivity to cold that passes quickly.
- The edge is smooth or can be covered temporarily.
- Nothing has changed in how the teeth meet.
Waiting a few days is not the same as leaving it. Even a small chip leaves a rough surface that collects plaque and a weakened edge that tends to chip further.
The cracked tooth that does not look broken
The trickiest presentation is a tooth that appears intact but hurts in a specific way: a sharp jolt when you bite on something, often worse on release than on pressure, and sometimes sensitivity to cold. This is the classic pattern of cracked tooth syndrome, and it can persist for months before the crack is visible on an x-ray, because a crack running vertically is essentially invisible on a two-dimensional image.
It is worth having assessed rather than waited out, because cracks propagate. A crack confined to the crown of the tooth is usually restorable with full coverage. A crack that reaches the root often is not, and the difference is frequently a matter of time. Which restoration is appropriate is covered in how dentists decide between a filling and a crown.
What to do before your appointment
- Rinse gently with warm salt water.
- Keep any fragment in milk or saliva and bring it. Larger fragments from front teeth can sometimes be bonded back on.
- Cover a sharp edge with dental wax or sugar-free gum if it is cutting your tongue.
- Chew on the other side and avoid very hot, very cold and hard foods.
- Take your usual over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packet. Do not hold aspirin against the gum, which burns the tissue.
- Do not use a temporary filling kit on a fracture with exposed pulp. Sealing over it can make matters worse.
How chips and cracks are treated
- Smoothing. A minor enamel chip can sometimes simply be polished level.
- Composite bonding. Tooth-coloured material shaped and bonded to rebuild the edge, in a single visit.
- Crown or onlay. Where too much structure is lost, or a crack needs to be held together.
- Veneer. For front teeth where appearance is the primary concern and the tooth is otherwise sound.
- Root canal treatment. Where the pulp is exposed or has been irreversibly damaged, followed by a restoration.
- Extraction. Where the fracture runs too far below the gum line for the tooth to be restored. Replacement options are then discussed.
Why teeth chip
Trauma is the obvious cause, but most chips in adults happen to teeth that were already compromised. Large old fillings, undetected decay, acid erosion and grinding all thin the tooth until a normal biting force is enough. Chewing ice, opening packaging with your teeth and biting fingernails add avoidable load. If you are chipping teeth repeatedly, the pattern itself is the finding worth investigating.
What it costs
An emergency examination at Civic Gentle Dental Care starts from $70 to $110, with x-rays at $52 each as needed. Repair costs depend on what is required: tooth-coloured fillings range from $209 to $450, porcelain crowns start from $1,800, and root canal treatment ranges from $1,200 to $2,000 excluding the final restoration. You will have an itemised quote before treatment proceeds. See our price list and our page on emergency dental care in Canberra.
Common questions
Can a chipped tooth heal itself?
No. Enamel contains no living cells and does not regenerate. Early demineralisation can be remineralised, but lost structure does not grow back.
Why does my tooth only hurt when I bite on certain things?
Pain on biting that is specific to particular foods or angles is characteristic of a crack, where the segments flex apart under load. It is worth investigating even when nothing shows on an x-ray.
I chipped a tooth months ago and it is fine. Do I still need it looked at?
Have it checked. A chip that has not caused symptoms may still have left a weakened cusp or a rough margin collecting plaque, and both are easier to address before they progress.
Will a repaired front tooth be noticeable?
Composite bonding is shade matched to the surrounding tooth. How closely it blends depends on the size of the repair and where it sits, which the dentist will discuss with you beforehand.
Booking an appointment in Canberra City
Civic Gentle Dental Care is at Suite 8, Level 3/161 London Circuit, Canberra City, a short walk from the Canberra Centre. To arrange an appointment, call (02) 6247 0224 or send us a message through our contact page.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual dental advice. Whether a treatment is suitable for you, and what it will involve, can only be determined after an examination by a dentist. Any prices mentioned are estimates drawn from our current price guide and are not a quote.