Cracked a Front Tooth? Know This.

While your teeth are strong enough to last a lifetime, it doesn’t mean that they are exempt from damage. Just like other parts of your body, your teeth can suffer injury or break under certain pressures. For most patients, however, cracking a permanent tooth is a frightening experience.  A cracked or broken tooth can threaten your smile’s appearance as well as make it uncomfortable to chew and speak. Even if your cracked tooth is not bothering you, it is important to get it repaired. Any time the enamel (outer protective layer) of a tooth is compromised, it can open the door for bacteria invasion, cavities and infection.

Most Front Tooth Damage is Repairable

If you suffered a bad fall or relied on your teeth to open a bottle, you may be left with a cracked or chipped front tooth. Don’t worry; most types of damage to the front teeth can be repaired. In fact, not only can it be fixed, but others won’t even know you’ve suffered the dental mishap.

Depending on the size of the damage, front teeth can be repaired in one of three ways:

• • Bonding – a tooth colored composite resin material is simply applied to replace the missing tooth structures. Bonding is for minor cracks and chips, but it looks completely natural and doesn’t require an anesthetic or lengthy appointment.
  • Veneers – a porcelain shell that is meant to cover the front surface of the tooth. As long as your tooth is in good health, this is an ideal aesthetic fix for more substantial front tooth damage.
  • Crowns – a dental “cap” that covers the entire tooth. A solution for more severe damage or when the tooth may also have undergone a root canal to eliminate infection.

At Crabapple Dental, we don’t want patients to worry or stress when they’ve cracked a front tooth. While it is never ideal, the situation can nearly always be fixed when handled in a timely manner. For times in which the tooth was severely compromised or the roots are damaged, an extraction may be necessary. However, rest assured that we also offer dental implants and life-like porcelain crowns to help you regain a beautiful and seamless smile.

Call today to schedule an appointment with Alpharetta’s finest dentists. We specialize in general, restorative and cosmetic dentistry – everything you need to for excellent results in cracked tooth repair.