The foremost concern for a chipped or broken tooth is how much traumatic condition it is in. In such a situation, it would need to be addressed as early as possible before it risks damage to the underlying tooth tissue. But a tooth can also fracture through underlying tooth decay (cavities). It is an obvious choice and more importantly so to have the affected teeth checked to ensure that any injures are treated appropriately and promptly.

The dentist will usually take an X-ray of the chipped tooth to establish whether there are any injuries to the root or surrounding tissues. The X-ray will show how near the pulp the chip has gone. Unfortunately, dental x-rays sometimes don’t show up the cracked tooth. This is because the x-ray beam must be parallel to the crack before it can penetrate it. A Microdentistry tool can quickly detect even a minor crack. A deeply chipped tooth may have damage to its hard tissue and can sometimes extend into the nerve canal and cause lots of tooth pain. Such a chip or fracture of the crown or crown and root - or it may even have caused damage to the supporting soft tissues and blood vessels.

The fracture can go through enamel only, through into the sensitive yellow tissue under the enamel [dentine] or into the nerve and blood vessels [pulp]. In this case a root canal is often the treatment of choice before anything else is done. With the root canal completed, a post and core and dental crown are constructed. It is important to have a broken tooth crowned before it becomes infected or abscessed. In case of Vertical Root Fracture, there may be no practical way to save the tooth. However, all possibilities should be considered before any tooth is extracted. If the chip extends all the way through the tooth, an extraction may be necessary. The missing tooth can then be replaced with a bridge or partial dentureor dental implant.

Esthetics for chipped tooth
A chipped tooth can be ugly and aggravating so most patients would want it fixed right away, for esthetic reasons! A simple chip may be smoothed and no restorative treatment is required. This treatment is reserved for small chips in enamel only. There are many alternatives. The one which is used depends on the tooth involved and the size of the fracture.

Small cracks are usually repaired with dental bonding but if the filling is really small, the composite can break off easily. Tooth-coloured filling material can be bonded to the tooth to replace the missing portion. It is made of plastic with quartz or glass particles embedded into it. It is shaped by the dentist onto the tooth, and set using a special blue light. Many patients choose to reshape small breaks with cosmetic tooth contouring and avoid the future expenses of replacing an unstable small filling. Porcelain Laminate Veneers can also be used to repair broken or chipped teeth.

Prevention
It is good for health to regularly take part in sports of liking. Participation in sport causes many teeth to be chipped, fractured or knocked out. A thorough check-up at the beginning of each season is desirable as is a mouth guard fitted by a dentist. Even non-contact sports such as skateboarding, squash and cycling can cause chipping to teeth. A consult with sports dentistry professional may greatly help.