How to Treat a Broken Tooth

While teeth are very strong, they sometimes can break or chip due to an injury, biting down on something hard, or from being weakened by cavities. Knowing how to treat a broken tooth can help you with pain and cosmetic management until you can get in to see your dentist for a more permanent fix.

Steps

1. Know about the different kinds of breaks.
   • When large pieces of tooth break off, the nerve in the tooth can cause major pain when it is exposed to saliva, air or if you eat or drink hot or cold food or beverages.
   • A minor crack or fracture may go unnoticed because it is unlikely to create symptoms. As that crack or fracture intensifies with time, however, you may feel pain as the damage extends down to the nerve. You may also feel pain when you chew because of the pressure that you are putting on the fracture.
2. Do what you can for a broken tooth until you can get to the dentist.
3. Save the pieces of the broken tooth if at all possible. This can be done if you are mindful at the time of the break that there is a potential issue and you don't swallow the pieces of tooth.
   • Spit out whatever is in your mouth into a napkin, and discern tooth fragments from food items.
   • If possible, rinse the tooth pieces under running water, but be careful not to lose them down the sink.
4. Rinse out your mouth using warm water.
5. Stop any bleeding by applying gauze to the site for 10 minutes.
6. Relieve pain and reduce swelling by putting a cold compress on your face in the area of the broken tooth.
7. Go straight to the dentist if at all possible. Two to three hours is the appropriate time window, as anything longer reduces your chance of revival of the tooth and opens you up to infection or possible loss of the entire tooth.
8. Purchase and use a temporary dental cement from the pharmacy if you are unable to get to the dentist right away.

Tips

• Use over-the-counter pain medication treatment as necessary.
• If you haven't been to the dentist in a while and fear that you have teeth susceptible to breaking, take precautions such as not chewing on hard objects such as popcorn kernels or ice, don't grind or clench your teeth, and wear appropriate mouthguards when playing contact sports.
• You can't treat a fractured tooth at home. A dentist should be consulted anytime that you have sensitivity when you eat or from changes in temperature. Constant pain is also a red flag that your fracture may have damaged either or both the nerve and the live tissue in the tooth.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/OC/Information/OralHealthBasics/EmergenciesInjuries/DentalEmergencies/FracturedandBrokenTeeth.cvsp
• http://www.endodovgan.com/Endoinfo_Cracked_Fractured.htm

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