How Do Dentists Fix a Chipped Front Tooth?

Chipping or breaking a front tooth is a common problem that can cause pain, sensitivity, and cosmetic concerns.

What To Do Immediately After Chipping A Tooth?

"If you have an accident and break quite a sizeable chunk of your tooth and you can find the broken piece, hold onto it, as your dentist may be able to use it and reattach it.

You don't need to keep it in any sort of solution (only do this when an entire tooth has come out, including the root). Just clean it and keep it safe."

Dr. Joyti Vasudev

If you're not experiencing any pain or sensitivity, and can eat quite comfortably, it's not urgent that you see your dentist, but contact them for an appointment and see them as soon as possible.

If you’re in pain or you can’t eat, or you have jagged edges cutting your lip or tongue, contact your dentist and request an emergency appointment.

Eat soft foods until you can see your dentist, avoid anything very hot or cold, and clean gently around the damaged area.

How Do Dentists Fix Small Chips?

If the chip is very small, the dentist might recommend polishing and smoothing it only.

Very tiny repairs can be prone to chipping again in the future, so if the chip can be easily hidden just by polishing, this is often the best answer.

If the chip is large enough that it can be easily seen when you smile, then we’ll usually recommend composite bonding.

How Do Dentists Fix Medium Chips?

Where a chip is big enough that it’s clearly visible or causing sensitivity, we will usually recommend composite bonding treatment to repair it.

This doesn't usually constitute a dental emergency but often cosmetic concerns will cause people to seek an emergency appointment.

This process involves bonding a composite resin material to your damaged tooth.

This tooth coloured resin looks exactly like natural tooth structure so, when applied well, it completely hides the damage and leaves the tooth with a very natural appearance and restores it to its original shape.

The original tooth does not need to be drilled or prepared, other than smoothing the edges of the break.

The procedure is not painful and usually doesn't require any injections.

The composite resin material is not as hard as tooth enamel, but can stand up to normal chewing and function and will often last for many years without needing to be replaced.

How Do Dentists Fix Large Chips Or Broken Teeth?

For very large breaks or chips, the tooth's pulp (nerve) is often involved, which complicates treatment.

This will usually cause the tooth to be extremely sensitive or painful to eat on and requires urgent care.

If the nerve has been badly damaged, root canal treatment might be required to remove the remaining pulp tissue.

Composite bonding may be sufficient to correct the break but, where root canal therapy has taken place, often the remaining tooth ends up becoming discoloured, and we sometimes use porcelain veneers to mask the underlying dark tooth structure.

How Do Dentists Fix Chipped Front Teeth Vs Back Teeth?

"The process for fixing front teeth and back teeth can be very similar, and will often use direct composite bonding to repair damage."

Dr. Joyti Vasudev

Often back teeth chip because of existing fillings failing but can also be caused by teeth grinding and clenching at night, or because of decay.

If a back tooth hasn't chipped as a result of an accident, then we need to try to understand what caused it to chip and address the cause.

The treatment to fix the chip will often be either a dental filling or sometimes a stronger restoration, such as an inlay or onlay.

These work by covering the whole front of the tooth with a tooth coloured facing is colour-matched to the neighbouring teeth.

These porcelain veneers are made in a dental laboratory, are extremely strong and can protect the teeth from further damage.

In extreme cases, such as root fractures or complicated breaks, the remaining tooth may be unrestorable and might require extraction.

In these cases, we will usually extract the tooth and place an implant.

Dental implants are very predictable these days and will look and feel like a real tooth for many years.

We don't generally recommend crowns, as we can usually protect the tooth without the destruction involved in a crown, but they work the same way as onlays and overlays to guard the tooth against further damage.

If a back tooth has broken because of very deep decay or a crack, sometimes root canal therapy will be required before the tooth can be definitively restored.

If a back tooth breaks and you're not in any pain, it is not essential that you see your dentist straight away.

Just book an appointment for as soon as possible.

There is no immediate danger to your tooth from being exposed.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Chipped Tooth?

The costs of fixing a chipped tooth vary a lot and depend on what's necessary to correct the damage.

Polishing alone will usually be included in the emergency fee, as very little work is required in most cases.

Composite bonding can range from £250-450 (per tooth) at The Modern Dentist, depending on the size of the break and the amount of time required to correct it.

Root canals on front teeth are usually around £1000 with a specialist, and the porcelain veneers also cost around £1000.