What’s the strongest part of your body? Bone or tooth is the answer that may strike you first. However, bones are not without their nemesis, fractures. Likewise, teeth are also prone to chipping, no matter how strong the tooth is. Teeth are sturdy, but a blow in the face or biting down something hard can test their durability. Typically, when you try to crack up a nut using your teeth, it’s the nut that succumbs to the pressure. Nevertheless, sometimes your tooth takes the brunt of the impact, and some of it may break off and fall. This is known as chipping, and let’s delve into a discussion about it.
How Severe Can Chipping Be?
A chipped tooth usually is not considered a medical emergency. Unless the nut you tried cracking opened a vast chasm. Severe tooth damage that makes eating and sleeping miserable requires urgent dental treatment. Other than that, minor chipping might not be critical, but you still need to visit the dentist.
What Are Symptoms Of Chipping?
If you feel something hard in your mouth, that can be a broken tooth piece. On the other hand, you may feel tongue irritation due to the jagged surface after running the tongue over your teeth. Similarly, a sharp edge can irritate the gums as well. Under the above scenarios, examine your mouth to find out the damage site.
How To Take Care Of Yourself Until You Get To A Dentist?
- Usually, minor chipping is painless, but if a nerve is exposed, you may experience pain. Therefore, for relief, gulp down a few OTC painkillers.
- Don’t try eating anything hard because the exerted pressure can send down a burst of toothache. Rely on soft food if you are hungry.
- You can risk damaging your tongue or soft tissue if the remaining tooth is rugged. Hence, apply a wax coating on the chipped tooth to protect your mouth from cuts.
If it’s possible, you should try to preserve the broken piece. You can dunk it in the glass of milk and keep it there until you reach the dentist. The calcium in the milk glass will keep the tooth piece alive. The dentist may be able to reattach the broken piece.
How Can You Safeguard Yourself?
Chipping from accidents cannot be prevented, but there is still some stuff you can improve on to protect your tooth. Here are a few:
- Don’t use your teeth to crack nuts or open soda bottles; you can find nutcrackers and bottle-openers from the market.
- Use mouth guards during sport; this will prevent blunt impact from knocking down your pearly whites.
- Try to overcome habits like bruxism or ice chewing, as these habits can weaken the teeth, leaving them susceptible to chipping.
- Work to strengthen your teeth by using fluoride toothpaste and maintaining an impeccable teeth cleaning routine.
You can visit Brookshire Smile Dental with your chipped tooth issue. We will guide you toward the best procedure. Hence, to schedule an appointment, you call us at (281) 934-1010.