Even if the damage is hard to notice, you should be concerned about a chipped tooth. That “minor” injury may end up doing more harm than you expect, especially if you do not seek treatment in time. If the damage worsens, it can affect your appearance and bite function, and make you vulnerable to infection. To avoid potential oral health complications, bring your chipped tooth to your Virginia Beach, VA dentist’s attention. After an evaluation, we can determine what kind of care is required. If necessary, we will recommend restorative dental work to protect the tooth and prevent complications. However, we can also recommend conservative cosmetic dental work when appropriate.
How Serious Is Your Dental Injury?
You may have a harder time gauging the severity of a dental injury than you realize. If you decide that the injury seems minor and never have it evaluated, you can be caught off guard later when the tooth experiences more damage, or when you start to feel the symptoms of a painful tooth infection. Until the matter is evaluated, you should be careful about making assumptions regarding the state of a chipped tooth.
Restoring An Injured Tooth
Tooth injuries create problems for your bite function, your oral health, and your appearance. When restoring injured teeth, your dentist will check for any signs of infection that make root canal therapy necessary. This work will stop the spread of bacteria through your tooth, something that can lead to more health difficulties and the loss of that tooth! To keep a tooth safe, we will cap it with a custom dental crown. The crown covers the tooth completely above the gum line to support your bite and keep the remaining structure safe.
When Cosmetic Dentistry Is Appropriate
Minor chipping can be addressed through cosmetic dental treatment. Cosmetic services are more conservative than restorative treatments, so more of your natural tooth structure remains unchanged. We may be able to restore the tooth without the placement of a restoration. Through tooth bonding services, we are able to address minor chips and cracks by applying a resin substance that adheres directly to your enamel. We also have the option of placing a porcelain veneer. Veneers take more preparatory work than bonding treatment, but they still preserve more of your tooth structure than treatment with a crown.
Talk To Your Virginia Beach, VA Dentist About Restorative Dental Work
Your Virginia Beach, VA dentist’s office is ready to address your oral health and smile concerns after you chip your tooth. Once your injury has been evaluated, we can let you know if the matter is serious enough to require restorative work, or if you only require cosmetic services. To find out more, please contact Absolute Dental Care at (757) 428-7440.
