A tooth chipped at 9 weeks of pregnancy. The child's front permanent tooth chipped off

Oral diseases develop in different ways. Sometimes a healthy row of teeth can be damaged by a chipped tooth, which is painful and unsightly. Regardless of the degree of the chip, urgent medical intervention is necessary. A damaged tooth can cause the development of complex dental diseases and, over time, become a source of infection.

  • Symptoms
  • Types of tooth chips
  • Reasons
  • Complications
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Symptoms

The main symptom of a chip is pain and sensitivity of the tooth.

The degree of pain depends on the type of chip. If a piece of enamel on a tooth breaks off, you may experience a reaction to cold and hot food. If a fracture exposes a nerve or damages the pulp chamber, the tooth may hurt like complicated caries - pulpitis.

Types of tooth chips

Dentists distinguish the following types of chips:

  • incomplete chip - enamel crack;
  • chipped enamel on a tooth;
  • chipped dentin:
  • chipping, leading to opening of the pulp.

Depending on the type of chip, dentists determine the degree of damage to the tooth: minimal, medium and severe.

Cracks and chips of enamel are considered minimal damage, moderate damage is damage to dentin. Exposure of the nerve and pulp chamber is a severe injury.

Depending on the type of chip and the degree of damage, the dentist chooses a technique for treating and restoring the tooth.

Enamel chip

Tooth enamel is the hardest bone material in our body and requires special care.

Often we do not think about the health of the enamel and cause irreparable harm to it. Eating high in carbohydrates, eating too hard food, improper care, and bad habits thin the protective barrier and cause enamel chips and cracks.

Cracks and chips of enamel without damage to dentin usually do not cause significant discomfort, so patients often turn to the dentist too late. Untimely treatment can lead to a number of serious diseases and lead to the destruction of the dentition.

Dentin chip

Dentin is the mineralized hard part of the tooth that envelops the pulp chamber and nerve.

Dentin is responsible for the shape of the tooth; it is softer than enamel, but harder than bone. With moderate chips, there is a danger of dentin being washed out and subsequent damage to the pulp chamber.


When dentin is chipped, the patient may not feel acute pain; there is a reaction to sour and sweet foods.

Chip exposing the pulp

When the pulp is exposed, the tooth hurts severely; painkillers provide only temporary relief.

When dentin is chipped, exposing the pulp, dentists remove it, clean the canals, remove the nerve, and only then engage in restoration and prosthetics of the chipped tooth.

Reasons

For successful treatment and restoration, the dentist needs to correctly determine the causes of tooth chipping.

The main causes of dental damage include:

  • dental trauma;
  • decreased acidity in the oral cavity;
  • reminilization of tooth enamel;
  • incorrect bite and position of teeth;
  • untreated dental diseases;
  • bad habits;
  • hormonal imbalance.

Dental trauma usually refers to fractures and chips that occur, for example, from an impact or a fall.

However, more often than not, we injure our teeth day after day. Think about it, which of us hasn’t chewed caramel at least once in our lives, unknotted knots with our teeth, or eaten ice cream and hot coffee at the same time?

The list of bad habits could go on for a long time; they all injure the enamel and damage the integrity of the teeth. Eating carbohydrate foods disrupts the acid balance in the mouth; smoking and drinking alcohol are responsible for thinning enamel, cracking and chipping of teeth.


Nutrition is an important component of dental health. A lack of microelements can cause reminilization of tooth enamel, and subsequently - fractures and loss of dentition. The best way to prevent chipping is to eat properly, follow basic care rules, and visit the dentist in a timely manner.

Another reason for the appearance of chips can be a hormonal imbalance, for example, with diabetes, thyroid diseases or during pregnancy. In this case, to find out the reasons, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive medical examination.

A bite that is not corrected in time and pathologies in the location of teeth can also cause injuries.

The lower and upper rows of teeth can injure each other even when chewing, not to mention the fact that bite defects cause night teeth grinding. Teeth grinding leads to abrasion of the enamel and visible defects of the teeth.

An incorrect bite can also cause chips of the dental tissue adjacent to the gums. If the enamel breaks off at the gum, then the second cause may be caries in the cervical area of ​​the tooth.

In both cases, you should immediately contact your dentist. It will be necessary not only to restore the damaged tooth, but also to eliminate the underlying cause.

Video: strengthening tooth enamel

What to do if a piece of a tooth breaks off

It is necessary to contact a dentist as soon as possible.

Only quick action will help completely restore the tooth and prevent further destruction. In case of injuries to the tooth and oral tissues, first aid should be provided.

First aid

In case of chipped or broken teeth, a visit to the doctor is mandatory, but anyone can provide first aid.

What measures are taken in case of chipping?

  • Rinse with warm boiled water to remove food debris and enamel fragments.
  • In case of gum injury and bleeding, it is necessary to apply a sterile bandage to the sore spot.
  • Ice should be applied to the chip site to eliminate swelling and pain.
  • For severe pain, you can take a pain reliever.

Treatment in the clinic

To restore the aesthetic appearance of the dentition, dentistry uses various dental restoration techniques.

Small chips of enamel are corrected using composite light-curing materials. The same materials are used for chipped dentin; in this case, the dentist will make a special hard inlay and install it with glue.

The technique of making inlays refers to microprosthetics and will require a previously prepared impression.

However, there are clinics where it is possible to produce composite inlays in one day, and this allows you to save time and not feel psychological discomfort, especially if a piece of the front tooth has broken off.


External chips of the front and side teeth are eliminated with the help of veneers - special plates made of translucent material, most often ceramic. Small internal chips in molars can be repaired with regular fillings, and sharp edges can be smoothed by grinding.

The loss of a significant part of the tooth, but without damage to the pulp, can be corrected by installing a metal-ceramic crown.

If the pulp is damaged, the dentist must perform depulpation to prevent inflammation and relieve pain.

In this case, tooth restoration occurs using a pin. The pin allows you to relieve pressure on the walls of the injured tooth, thereby relieving the load and preventing possible destruction.

It makes no sense to restore wisdom teeth, since they practically do not bear the chewing load and do not affect the aesthetics of appearance. Typically, when wisdom teeth are chipped or broken, dentists suggest patients have them removed.

Molar

When performing restoration of molars, the dentist chooses the restoration and treatment technique on an individual basis. The choice of technique depends on the degree and type of chip.

For example, it is more practical to restore internal invisible chips of molars with a filling, but to eliminate external ones, the use of composite materials will be required.


To restore lateral teeth, metal-ceramic crowns are often installed. Metal-ceramics is a durable material that can withstand significant chewing load.

Video: metal ceramics

Front tooth

Chipped front teeth are of particular concern to patients, since visible defects in the frontal part of the dentition cause psychological discomfort.

A person is embarrassed to smile and talk; over time, chipped front teeth can lead to speech defects and changes in facial expressions. All these unpleasant consequences can be avoided by consulting a doctor.

If a front tooth has chipped, there are several ways to restore it:

  • damage to enamel and dentin - filling and grinding;
  • minor damage to the pulp chamber - removal of the pulp, necrosis of the nerve, filling, sometimes with the installation of a pin;
  • in difficult cases - microprosthetics with veneers and composite inlays.
Video: veneers

Complications

As a result, you can get a number of diseases:

  • caries;
  • pulpitis;
  • periodontitis.

All these diseases can lead to complete tooth destruction.

In addition, infection in the oral cavity causes diseases of the stomach, heart, liver and kidneys, since the teeth are directly connected to the organs through the circulatory and nervous systems.

Photo

In the photo you can see chipped front and molar teeth. The apparent catastrophic nature of damaged teeth is now successfully treated in dental clinics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to do if a child’s baby tooth breaks off?

Chips of baby teeth are a common occurrence. The cause most often is childhood trauma, and the front incisors suffer.

Necessary:

  • calm your baby down and don’t panic yourself;
  • remove dirt by rinsing the mouth;
  • disinfect the wound, as well as the cheeks, gums and tongue with hydrogen peroxide;
  • contact a pediatric dentist within 24 hours;
  • If possible, save the tooth fragment and take it to the doctor.

The pediatric dentist begins treatment with an examination of the chip, anesthesia, and x-rays. The image will show the position of the tooth root, the condition of the dental tissues and jaw after injury.

To treat primary incisors, dentists use a special gel, which is used to preserve the damaged tooth for 2–3 weeks until the wound is completely healed. Next, the treatment and restoration technique is selected based on the degree of the chip.

This could be filling, the use of veneers or other microprostheses, restoration with reflective materials.

Statistics show that 95% of chipped teeth in children can be restored without removing the nerve. To prevent tooth fragility in children, practice regular hygiene and eat foods containing calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

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Causes of chipped teeth

Frequent clients of dentists with chipped teeth are children aged 3 to 10 years. During this period, the main stage of the child’s development takes place, as well as his knowledge of the world around him. The main reasons leading to this situation are:


Parents need to monitor what the child puts in his mouth: objects or foods that are too hard can break the tooth. It is not recommended to give hot food and then cold food the next moment.

Classification and symptoms

Main symptoms of chipping:

  • pain in the area of ​​the injured tooth;
  • increased sensitivity to hot and cold.

When a large piece of a tooth has broken off, anesthetic medications may not help. Despite rinsing and painkillers, the pain does not go away, and you cannot do without a doctor.

In dentistry, there is the following classification of chips:

Chip on enamel

With such damage, the child does not feel any discomfort, so they often do not contact the dentist. This is wrong, since there is a high risk of complications, in particular, damage to the dentition.

Despite the strength of tooth enamel, improper care, unbalanced nutrition and consumption of hard foods can cause harm to it, which is reflected in the thinning of the tooth enamel and the formation of cracks on it. Subsequently, sensitivity appears when eating cold and hot foods.

Dentin damage

Dentin is a mineralized tissue that follows the enamel. In terms of strength, it is an intermediate link between enamel and bones, and is responsible for the shape of the tooth. When the tooth breaks off along with the dentin, there is open access to the nerve endings and the pulp chamber. This is fraught with the onset of infectious processes. The presence of painful sensations is not necessary, but reactions to sour and sweet foods are common.

Exposed pulp

The main symptom of pulp exposure is severe toothache, as well as a complete or partial lack of response to anesthetics and compresses. In case of chips with exposed pulp, dentists take the following measures:

  • complete removal of the pulp;
  • cleaning channels and removing nerve endings;
  • tooth restoration.

What to do?

When a child's tooth is chipped, parents do not know what to do or how to help in such a situation. Especially when the chip occurred as a result of a fall or injury, since the child experiences not only pain, but also fear. The primary recommendation for the parent would be to calm down and not panic themselves. After this, try to calm the child, make him sit comfortably and give him a cold compress to reduce pain.

First aid

Armed with calm, you can try to provide first aid. What to do? In such cases, doctors give a whole list of advice:

  1. Inspect the injured area. Clean your mouth from dirt and food debris, rinse and disinfect.
  2. You can apply ice and take anesthetic medications to relieve swelling and reduce pain.
  3. In case of bleeding, place a bandage on the injury site.
  4. It is necessary to consult a doctor within the first two days after the incident. Otherwise, the risk of infection and complete tooth loss increases.

Restoration of anterior tooth in the clinic

The most common type of chipping is a small piece breaking off from the front molar. By contacting the clinic, the doctor will see on the spot how serious the tooth injury is. To do this, he will disinfect the oral cavity, then send the patient for an x-ray. Next, he will cover the tooth with gel and send you home until the wound heals. Further treatment of the tooth is individual and will depend on the type of injury.

When a chip touches the root and the crown breaks, a specialist will remove such a tooth. When the pulp remains intact as a result of injury, the dentist may resort to installing a metal-ceramic crown. If the pulp is damaged, he anesthetizes and disinfects the injury site. Then he will restore the damaged tooth using a pin.

In the case of a small chip, dentists restore the broken part of the tooth. To do this, they use small ceramic plates - veneers. If enamel and dentin are damaged due to injury, doctors fill the damaged area and polish it.

Chip on a baby tooth

Injuries to primary teeth are not uncommon. The most common cause is falls and impacts that hit the child's front teeth. When a situation arises that a front milk tooth has broken off, the actions will be the same as if a permanent one had broken:

  1. calm the child and clean the oral cavity of foreign objects, disinfect the mouth;
  2. visit a pediatric dentist who will examine the injured tooth, take an x-ray and prescribe treatment.

Treatment for chipped baby teeth is the same as for chipped molars. The only difference will be the advice not to rush into removing the nerve endings. Only in 5% of cases such a tooth cannot be treated without removing the pulp.

Complications if you don’t see a doctor in a timely manner

Also, due to infection, problems with the digestive organs are possible, and the development of liver, kidney and heart diseases is likely. Teeth communicate with the entire body through the blood and nervous system.

Preventive measures

As with any other disease, it would be useful to resort to prevention. To do this, it is important to teach your child how to properly brush his teeth. If you visit sections where there is a risk of dental injury (hockey, boxing, etc.), you can buy a mouth guard. If you have an incorrect bite, or if your teeth are growing crooked, make an appointment with a specialist, as cases of chipping on uneven teeth are quite common. Eating foods rich in calcium will make your child's teeth stronger.

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Reasons for chipping

A chipped tooth should certainly alert a person. If this happens, then something is certainly going wrong in life and health. To understand better, you need to know the most common causes.

  1. A dental injury has occurred.
  2. Weak immune system.
  3. Incorrect and careless wearing of structures installed by an orthodontist.
  4. Hormonal imbalance.
  5. Eating junk food.
  6. The presence of dental diseases in an untreated state.
  7. Malocclusion.
  8. Unhealthy arrangement of adjacent teeth.
  9. Presence of caries.
  10. Having bad habits.
  11. Low acidity in the mouth.
  12. Damaged filling.
  13. Tooth enamel is subject to reminiscing.
  14. The presence of a long-formed crack.
  15. Presence of chronic diseases.

Let's look at some of the reasons separately. An incorrect bite undoubtedly leads to chipping and damage to soft tissue. The lower and upper teeth injure each other even during normal eating. Also, people with this type of bite experience night grinding, which wears away the enamel over time. If a piece of a tooth breaks off near the soft tissue, complex caries will soon appear in this place.

Chips, bruises, displacement or loss of teeth can occur as a result of injury. For example, due to a fight, a fall or a strong blow. But in our lives, milder dental injuries occur. For example, a slight injury can be caused by hard candies (caramel) or the simultaneous intake of cold and hot foods (coffee and ice cream).

Bad habits also damage our teeth. Alcohol and tobacco use greatly weaken tooth enamel. As a result, cracks soon appear on it, which inevitably turn into chips.

Dental health depends on nutrition. The acid-base balance in the mouth is greatly disrupted by improper carbohydrate nutrition. This reason also thins the enamel. Only healthy food provides the necessary microelements to strengthen it.

The scourge of our century is diabetes. It occurs in every third resident. Elevated sugar levels lead to hormonal imbalance, which in turn affects the teeth. Thyroid disease can also be included in this category.

Hot and cold food causes cracks to appear. Severe caries damages the enamel and increases its fragility.

Symptoms

The symptoms of a chipped tooth are as follows:

  • The functions of the dentofacial apparatus are impaired.
  • Cracks are visible on the enamel.
  • Filling falling out.
  • The tooth is open, the nerve endings are exposed.
  • The dental crown is broken.

In addition, the person suffers from pain and severe sensitivity. The sensation of strong or weak pain depends on the nature of the chip. A broken piece usually results in a reaction to temperature changes.

Types of chips

There are several types of chips:

  1. Dentin chipping.
  2. Enamel chip.
  3. Enamel crack.
  4. Chipping and opening of the pulp.

The hard enamel material definitely requires attention and care. Often a person does not worry about her health. Eating carbohydrate foods, hard foods, poor care and unhealthy habits destroy enamel and lead to cracks and chips. Chips of enamel do not cause discomfort, so people do not rush to the hospital with them. In vain. In the absence of enamel, the load on the tooth increases significantly. Pathogenic bacteria enter the open area, which begins to destroy the entire tooth. As a result, the entire dentition may be affected. A person is greatly distressed by a chipped front tooth, which does not look aesthetically pleasing.

Dentin is the hard mineralized part of the tooth. It is located near the nerve and pulp chamber. This part of the tooth corresponds to the shape. In terms of hardness, dentin is slightly weaker than enamel, but stronger than that of bones. The most dangerous situation for dentin is moderate chipping. Because of them, dentin is washed out and damage to the pulp chamber occurs. If you do not build up a tooth, you may soon lose it completely.

A pulp fracture causes severe pain. Painkillers provide only a temporary effect. With such symptoms, the pulp is removed and the canals are cleaned. In addition, the doctor performs tooth restoration and prosthetics.

What to do if a tooth chips

The first action of the patient is to contact the dentist. There's no need to panic. The situation is not fatal. Initially, you need to independently assess the severity of the damage and rethink your actions. For mild to moderate cases, you should make an appointment in the coming days. The main thing is not to delay. If the pulp is exposed, you must rush to the dentist on duty. Otherwise, the pain will be severe and the patient will not be able to eat or sleep.

Help at home

It is necessary to organize and provide yourself with pre-medical care:

  • First step: rinse your mouth with water.
  • Second action: apply an ice compress and reduce gum swelling. In case of bleeding, apply a medical bandage.
  • Step three: take painkillers. Here you can also put a bandage with novocaine on the aching place.

It is better not to throw away a small broken piece, but to show it to the doctor. The broken bone tissue may be needed to restore the enamel.

The first two actions will help reduce discomfort, the third action will remove pain. Further treatment will be carried out by the doctor.

Treatment by a doctor

The dentist uses several methods to treat a broken tooth:

  1. Artistic restoration.
  2. Veneers and lumineers.
  3. Dental inlays.
  4. Dental crowns.

The first method is used if there is minor mechanical damage to the face. Composite materials are used for restoration purposes. At the same time, the shades of the materials are different. They are necessary for more accurate color selection. Using a special material, the tooth is given the correct shape.

If there are gaps in the teeth in addition to cracks and chips, the dentist decides to install veneers or lumineers. These orthodontic devices are made from ceramic material. The devices are attached to the front teeth and apparently hide the chip.

For more serious damage, a dental inlay is installed. This device allows you to restore a significant part of the tooth. It is made specifically for each patient in a laboratory.

If half a tooth or more is missing, it is replaced with prosthetics. That is, a dental crown is installed on top of the damaged tooth, which makes the tooth aesthetically pleasing and protects it from further destruction.

Special cases

Some teeth are restored in their own ways. Let's look at them.

Wisdom tooth

If a chip appears on this tooth, it is not restored. The procedure makes no sense. The fact is that this chewing organ is not involved in the chewing process and is not important for the species. Dentists remove a chipped wisdom tooth.

Front tooth

The situation with chipped front teeth seems deplorable to public citizens. In this case, the dentist may offer different treatment methods. For example, artistic restoration. The dentist will use a paste to select the desired color and restore the tooth. The material is resistant, durable and imitates naturalness well. The doctor will fix the applied layer with special light radiation. It is impossible to determine from the appearance that the patient’s tooth has been restored using extensions.

The second way to restore a tooth is to use a veneer. It is used for serious injuries. The material is strong, resistant, durable and does not change color over time.

In the third case, they resort to installing a crown. For these purposes, zirconium oxide, ceramics or metal ceramics are used. The choice of material is influenced by the patient’s opinion and ability to pay.

Lateral teeth

The same restoration methods can be used on the side teeth as on the front teeth. However, this is not entirely justified. These teeth are hidden from the eyes of others. Therefore, to restore them, you can use a regular filling. But it is better to resort to the extension method. Veneers are not installed on lateral teeth.

If a nerve has opened up on a side tooth, the dentist will first do an antiseptic treatment, perhaps remove the diseased nerve or the entire tooth and make a new one again.

Baby tooth

A parent often makes the mistake of thinking that it is not worth taking a child to the hospital with baby teeth. It's in vain. If your baby teeth are chipped or cracked, your doctor will stop further decay with a filling or preservative gel. For chipped incisors, a special gel is mainly used. Healthy baby teeth will lead to healthy permanent teeth.

Children are especially often injured. This happens due to falls or blows. The resulting chips lead to further stomatitis and increase tooth sensitivity. Therefore, a visit to your pediatrician is important.

It is important for the child to carry out the following pre-medical measures:

  • Calm a frightened child.
  • Give your child water to rinse his teeth.
  • If soft tissues are damaged, disinfect them.
  • Be sure to save the broken tooth for the doctor.

Within the first 24 hours, a child with a chipped tooth should be shown to a doctor. During the appointment, the doctor will most likely take pictures of the baby, which will help check the condition of the roots and soft tissues. For chipped incisors, a special gel is mainly used.

Special case - vertical crack

The vertical crack does not seem to be dangerous. This is a lie. It seriously hurts the pulp. As a result, it is not possible to restore the enamel with a filling. In serious cases, the patient feels that one half of the tooth is loose. In serious cases, the patient feels that one half of the tooth is loose.

In the case of a small crack, pressure is applied to the teeth. As a result, the tissue gradually loses its integrity. The result of this state of affairs is a big chip. If you go to the dentist, they will cover up a small crack, thereby restoring the enamel and health. If this action does not help, the doctor may install veneers or a crown.

Complications

If a tooth chips and a visit to the dentist is postponed for a long time, the patient faces the following consequences:

  1. Pulp infection. This is pain, destruction and its final loss.
  2. The appearance of granulomas and dangerous cysts.
  3. Malocclusion if a root shift occurs after an injury.
  4. Inability to eat food with pronounced sensations.

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Reasons for a chipped tooth

The appearance of this type of problem is mainly associated with a painful state of the body.

There are many reasons why a tooth can chip:

  1. Crumbling of the filling - reduced immunity;
  2. Destruction of the crown – caries;
  3. Getting injured means lack of vitamins and calcium.

Tooth enamel is the strongest tissue in the human body., but it is very sensitive to environmental pH. With increased acidity of the mouth, the enamel becomes thinner - its weakening is mostly susceptible to chipping. The formation of a small crack or small chip does not cause pain, but in the future it leads to complete destruction of the tooth.

The measures to be taken depend on the severity of the damage.

Enamel chip

Enamel chipping is the most gentle and harmless type. Due to the lack of discomfort and pain, patients very rarely turn to a specialist.

But this case cannot be ignored at all, because the absence of enamel is a direct problem. It is in this area that harmful bacteria will develop to a greater extent, which will negatively affect the damage, resulting in rapid tooth decay.

Chipped front teeth

Chipping of the front teeth when the nerve is exposed is very dangerous and the most painful of all types. When you see a chipped piece of your front tooth, you shouldn’t panic; first you need to determine the urgency of going to a specialist. If the nerve is affected, then when drinking drinks you feel pain inside the tooth, in which case you need to urgently visit the dentist.

Here we covered the issue of removing the nerve of a tooth.

Dentine

Moderate severity of tooth damage. This tissue is softer than enamel, but stronger than bone. Such a chip is dangerous for further functioning, but there is no acute pain.

Pulp exposure

One of the serious injuries to the tooth, accompanied by acute pain in the tooth. Since the sensitive part opens up and remains defenseless.

In this case, urgent dental intervention is required. If you discover a chipped piece of a tooth, you should immediately contact a specialist to prevent further development of this disease.

If visiting a dentist is not possible, then you need to do the following:

  1. Rinsing the mouth with warm water removes enamel fragments and food debris;
  2. Prevent swelling by applying ice - if gum tamponade occurs, use a sterile bandage.

How to relieve pain?

Introducing a dental infection into the body brings with it unpleasant consequences, which can be prevented with the help of a broad-spectrum antibiotic; dentists most often recommend taking the drug Amoxiclav.

If the pain is unbearable, you should take a strong pain reliever: ketorol, nurofen, pentalgin, analgin. Using a cooling mouth serum will help relieve discomfort.

Treatment of a chipped tooth, restoration options

Restoration will be needed if a large piece of the tooth has broken off; for a small chip, a light-curing composite is sufficient.

  • On the front tooth- good camouflage using ceramic onlays - veneers, they completely repeat the shape of the tooth.
  • For a very serious chip restoration occurs with the help of crowns. Metal-ceramics will allow you to preserve a damaged tooth for a long time; its aesthetic qualities are not inferior to veneers; crowns have recently been made from it.
  • With damaged pulp the tooth is restored on a pin and, if necessary, the doctor performs depulpation. This reduces the load on damaged walls. The cost of tooth depulpation is about 3,000 rubles.
  • Wisdom tooth does not affect the appearance of the dentition, but it is difficult to treat. If it cannot be restored, it is simply torn out.
  • In case of damage to the front teeth They use layers of ceramics, completely copying the shape of the tooth. It is virtually impossible to determine the difference between a veneer and a natural tooth, although the manufacturing process takes little time.
  • On chewing teeth Small chips are covered with fillings and then sanded.

What to do if a child’s tooth chips?

Chipping of baby teeth not only spoils the future condition of the molars, but also spoils the child’s smile. Severe injuries lead to poor dental growth. Sometimes a child’s dental problems arise not because of injuries, but because of oral hygiene. A common cause is poor heredity and genetic failure. The rudiments of teeth erupt with defects, but do not forget about the external reasons.

Food quality plays a huge role; it influences baby teeth, as well as the amount of vitamins and minerals supplied to the growing body. Basically, teeth begin to crumble due to a lack of calcium in saliva, which saturates the enamel. This deficiency is undoubtedly related to diet.

Review your child's diet; it may not contain enough foods high in calcium: fish, eggs, beans and others. A lack of phosphorus and fluoride also leads to chipping and crumbling of teeth. These elements are found in high quantities: in seafood, nuts, legumes and curd masses.

If there is a slight accumulation in the body vitamin D- this also leads to hypovitaminosis. This element is found in the skin under the influence of the sun, so this deficiency usually occurs during cold seasons. However, do not jump to conclusions before consulting with a specialist in this field.

If the tooth is very loose, contact your dentist urgently. Today there are a huge number of good paid clinics. The dentists on duty will also assist you in the emergency room. Keep a close eye on your child; if a tooth falls out, he or she may choke on it.

If the tooth is not loose and is not going to fall out, then this case does not require an urgent visit to the dentist. Eliminate hard and sticky foods from your child's diet, as pressure on the tooth can cause severe pain to the child. In addition, it can have unpleasant consequences.

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Causes of dental injury

A large or barely noticeable gap in the teeth area spoils the entire appearance. To treat and restore a tooth, you need to know the main causes of dental injury. There are several of them.

1. Mostly, children receive mechanical injuries from a fall or bruise, when parents see, for example, that a front tooth has broken at the root.

2. Children's teeth are not yet strong enough to experience serious jaw load. Therefore, it is worth making sure that children do not get used to, for example, clenching their teeth tightly.

3. If half of the tooth crown is broken, it is due to a poor-quality filling.

4. The filling or inlay may pop out or break when it reaches the end of its service life.

5. Teeth with thinned enamel become a risk area.

6. Due to thinned enamel, the tooth may be destroyed due to carious formation.

7. The quality and properties of food also affect tooth decay.

Avoid giving children foods that are too hard or rough. Even seeds can cause a piece of a tooth to break off. To avoid all these unpleasant consequences, you will need to pay more attention to care, as well as the quality of food.

To strengthen tooth enamel, you need a sufficient amount of calcium in the body. To strengthen the structure, remineralization is required. The appearance of microcracks is due to the fact that the child receives food that is too contrasting. This affects the condition of the enamel, it becomes vulnerable. A weakened tooth may break at some point. This is the result of exposure to food and ingestion of hot and frozen drinks.

Typology of dental trauma

If a piece of a tooth breaks, the fragments can capture the enamel when destroyed. In these cases, the tooth breaks open or closed, and the pulp may open. Tooth injuries are distinguished by the area of ​​the fracture - at the root, above, etc. In case of injury, when a piece may break off, the tooth is often displaced.

The nature of the damage depends on the size of the chipped part, for example, if a child’s upper wisdom tooth is half broken:

  • minimal degree of injury;
  • average degree of injury;
  • severe degree of injury.

When a tooth is damaged, the enamel is often affected. This is a minimal type of injury when the internal layers are not affected. The opposite indicates the average severity of the tooth fracture. In such a situation, the damage touches the pulp and the nerve is affected.

Let's look at the main types of dental damage. This is important for understanding what to do if a piece of a tooth breaks off.

1. Broken tooth in the root zone. The child’s tooth root is not yet strong enough to be difficult to remove.

The greatest risk, as always, falls on the front upper incisors. In order to determine why a child’s baby tooth has broken off, modern diagnostics will be required. A tooth fracture in the root area is determined by a series of x-rays. It is detected, as a rule, with the appearance of characteristic sensations due to inflammation of the gums. Depending on the degree of root destruction, the pulp will be affected, and this already leads to more serious consequences.

2. If your front tooth chips and it’s a baby tooth. Most often, a small piece breaks off from a small tooth. This can happen for various reasons. The doctor will determine the degree of danger. If the crown under the root is broken, the tooth will have to be removed. When a tooth chips away from the root, cosmetic restoration can be used to solve the problem. Usually the dentist performs extensions.

Often a tooth is displaced or dislocated as a result of a side blow to the jaw. For example, a child hit something when falling or another child accidentally touched it, and your child’s front tooth broke off. As a result, gum swelling may occur. The entry of microbes into the wound leads to the loss of a tooth, even if it is a milk tooth. It can be restored, but to do this it must be preserved in warm milk or saline until the implantation procedure.

Providing assistance to children with dental injuries

Parents often don’t know what to do if their child’s tooth breaks or the enamel chips. It is possible to put it in place, pressing it tightly to the gum, clenching the jaw. To reduce pain, you should use a cold compress.

If the tooth is broken in the middle or simply very loose, then the doctor’s verdict will be more encouraging. Any chipped piece should be saved for possible restoration by a specialist.

Now let's consider another situation. A wisdom tooth chipped into the gums - what to do?

If a tooth breaks or falls out, do not treat the area with peroxide, alcohol, touch the wound, or brush with a toothbrush. In a situation where there is a suspicion of not just a broken tooth, but also a broken jaw, she needs to be provided with peace and immobilized. To do this, you will need to make a bandage passing through the top of the head.

Severe trauma to the jaw can lead to nosebleeds. In this case, it is necessary for the child to lower his head and place a cold compress on the bridge of his nose. At the same time as these actions, someone should call the doctor.

After identifying the nature of the damage in the hospital using an X-ray, it will be possible to determine how damaged the surrounding tissues are, whether there are dislocations or subluxations.

Possible complications

Complex injuries can often have serious consequences, manifested in complications. It doesn’t matter which tooth was injured - the front incisor, the chewing tooth. After the examination, the doctor will decide how to save the child’s tooth. If you neglect the recommendations of a specialist, this can lead to more serious consequences, not to mention aesthetics.

Types of complications

1. Possibility of infection of the pulp area.

2. Increased tooth sensitivity.

3. The appearance of a bend in the tooth root.

4. Violation of occlusion.

5. Formation of cysts and granulomas.

You need to prepare for the fact that a damaged child’s tooth will begin to change the angle of development. And this leads to deformation not only of the damaged tooth, but also of its healthy neighbors. If it is necessary to remove a broken tooth, the space must be filled with an implant. If filling is not carried out, other teeth will begin to shift and move closer together, which leads to occlusion disorders - bite.

What are the dangers of dental injuries?

Tooth decay is associated with damage to internal tissues. If caries is not cured in time, the pulp - the core of the tooth with the presence of nerves and blood vessels - will be damaged. And then - the inflammatory process. The child will begin to feel constant toothache and complain about his health. The inflammatory process will affect different areas. In children, pulp periodontitis develops due to inflammation. This is due to the fact that the roots of a child’s tooth develop and strengthen over a long period of time, so damage occurs faster.

How to restore a damaged area?

A child with a chipped tooth should be taken to the dentist immediately. The doctor will fill the canals in the exposed pulp and remove the nerve bundle. In general, different methods and technologies are used today to restore and preserve teeth.

  1. For a broken tooth, dental crowns are used.
  2. The doctor can place veneers for children.
  3. When a tooth is broken or chipped, your doctor may place baby inlays.

The use of a crown is advisable when a tooth in the upper row of incisors is broken or when the chewing teeth are damaged. But at the same time, processing (grinding) is carried out on neighboring ones.

You can restore your front teeth thanks to thin overlays - veneers, which can be matched to match the rest of your teeth. If a tooth is broken and cannot be restored, the doctor will clean the canals and install an inlay (implant).

With the help of intracanal pins, it is possible to restore a chipped tooth if the parents decided to save it. With this method of dentures, aesthetics are preserved as much as possible. The operation will not affect the bite or chewing function.

Prevention of tooth decay

We need to try to avoid serious dental problems and prevent situations where a child could get injured or break a tooth. Parents should try to minimize all risks. To do this, it is enough to apply a few simple rules in practice.

For proper growth and development of bones and teeth, it is necessary to provide the child with complete, high-quality nutrition. Then the body will receive the entire complex of necessary micronutrients, vitamins, and substances.

When the baby has all his milk teeth, around the age of three, it would be good to give him more solid food. Various vegetables, fruits, and crackers are suitable for this. This way the child will become accustomed to more adult food, which will strengthen his teeth.

To maintain dental health, you need to pay attention to the development of the child’s chewing muscles; for this, you should control the consistency of food.

Pins in teeth and MRI Is it possible to drink after filling a tooth Prosthetics on implants How to restore a tooth

What are the causes of the numerous problems with teeth and gums that expectant mothers suffer from? How can they maintain a healthy smile, and can they be treated by a dentist during pregnancy? We answer the most important questions about pregnancy and teeth.

Dentists at appointments often hear the same story from patients: “Doctor, my teeth started to fall out during (after) pregnancy.” Many women have the feeling that the child, during intrauterine development, “takes” calcium from the mother’s teeth, causing caries and gum disease.

In fact, this is a myth that has no scientific evidence. The calcium reserves necessary for the baby's development are not replenished by the mother's teeth. Why then do dental problems worsen during pregnancy?

What happens to teeth and gums during pregnancy?

Most often during this period, women complain of an exacerbation of diseases such as caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Each of them can lead to tooth loss if not treated promptly.

Toxicosis can also become a catalyst for carious processes. Nausea and vomiting, as well as changes in eating habits (large amounts of carbohydrates) cause disruption of the acid-base balance in the oral cavity, demineralization of teeth and the development of caries. If you do not sanitize the oral cavity before pregnancy, even minor carious lesions can turn into large lesions within nine months.

During pregnancy, hormonal levels (estrogen and progesterone levels) change and immunity decreases, which can lead to disruption of the gums' response to plaque formation. By leaving ordinary plaque unattended and untreated, you risk causing it to degenerate into tartar, which can damage the entire tooth.

Plaque also provokes the development of gingivitis, an infection of the oral mucosa that causes swelling, redness and bleeding of the gums. Due to altered hormonal levels, any inflammatory reaction in the body of the expectant mother is more violent, which is why the disease is otherwise called “hypertrophic gingivitis” or “gingivitis of pregnant women.” If it is not cured, it can develop into periodontitis, which means that gradual resorption or loss of bone tissue, suppuration of gum pockets and tooth mobility will be added to the listed symptoms.

However, it is still not worth linking a sharp deterioration in oral health with pregnancy. If you maintained proper oral hygiene before pregnancy, regularly attended preventive examinations and had professional cleanings every six months, then all of the problems listed above will most likely not affect you.

It’s another matter if you have never removed dental plaque and have not treated caries. Even if they practically didn’t bother you before pregnancy, during pregnancy the previously “acquired” problems will most likely worsen.

Can a mother’s “dental” diseases affect the baby’s health?

Sick teeth and inflamed gums are a source of infection for the entire body. From the carious cavity, microbes can penetrate through the root canal into the blood and even provoke disturbances in the functioning of internal organs (heart, kidneys, etc.).

In addition, recent studies suggest that the birth of children with reduced weight may be associated, among other things, with gum disease - an infection in the mother’s body can negatively affect the child’s health. Therefore, preventive dental examinations are extremely important for the health of both the child and the mother.

When to visit the dentist and what procedures are allowed?

The best option is to solve all dental problems and have professional cleaning done in advance, before, to minimize possible risks. But if you have started the situation, and dental treatment during pregnancy cannot be avoided, then you should remember the precautions.

So, you should limit yourself to only urgently necessary procedures, be sure to consult with your gynecologist about anesthesia or taking medications. Based on these recommendations, your dentist should determine the need for hygienic teeth cleaning and therapeutic treatment in the first trimester.

The safest time for dental treatment is the second trimester (from to). At this stage, all manipulations can be carried out - taking precautions, of course. However, if possible, it is better to avoid introducing pharmaceutical drugs into a woman's body.

Women are allowed to treat caries during pregnancy and periodontal diseases, inflammatory processes in the gums and teeth, tooth extraction (non-surgical), and installation of braces (if there is no tooth mobility).

Is it possible to have x-rays and anesthesia during pregnancy?

Many experts, including those from the American Dental Association, note that if you can avoid X-rays during pregnancy, then it is better to play it safe and refuse this type of diagnosis. The same applies to anesthesia.

However, if x-rays and anesthesia are still necessary, you should resort to them, because in the third, the formation of the child’s vital organs occurs, and in the third, it is already physically difficult for the woman to perform any procedures. When choosing an anesthetic drug, your dentist should choose anesthetics with minimal amounts of epinephrine.

As for x-rays, the type of examination officially approved for pregnant women and nursing mothers is diagnostics using a dental computed tomograph. The radiation exposure in this case is minimal. In addition, the device gives the doctor the opportunity to accurately identify problems at the earliest stages of diseases, which helps to avoid diagnostic errors and complications.

How to care for your teeth during pregnancy?

  • Limit your consumption of carbohydrates and sweets - they provoke tooth decay.
  • Replace sodas with water or low-fat milk and fruit juices with fruit.
  • Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and floss twice a day. Special pastes with sage, chamomile, and mint, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, are also effective.
  • For frequent attacks of nausea and vomiting, chewing gum without sugar or with xylitol will help you, as well as rinsing your mouth with a soda solution after an attack (1 teaspoon of soda per glass of water). This will neutralize the negative effects of acids on enamel.

So, so that diseases of the teeth and gums do not overshadow the most important period in a woman’s life, you should prepare for it in advance - go to the dentist, get rid of caries and inflammatory gum diseases, and also regularly undergo professional hygienic cleaning.

There is hardly a person who has managed to avoid such a problem as a chipped tooth throughout his life.

Completely different living conditions and circumstances can cause this problem, but the main thing is to take appropriate measures in time to preserve the tooth and extend its service life.

Causes of chipped teeth

There are many factors that can affect the strength of teeth. Even the slightest deviations in a person’s well-being can affect the enamel, causing it to break off and cause tooth decay. Among the most popular reasons:

There can be many reasons, but if such a nuisance occurs, it is necessary to take prompt action. This will help to at least partially save the tooth.

There are different types of damage

Types of chips are distinguished by the degree of their impact on the tooth:

The photo shows a chipped front tooth enamel.

  1. It is considered the most harmless. The victim complains of a chipped tooth wall, but does not feel pain. Often in such a situation they do not even go to the dentist. But this is the wrong approach to the problem. The absence of enamel is a direct load on the dental tissue. It is this area that will be most attacked by harmful bacteria. From the negative impact, the affected tooth will begin to rapidly deteriorate. In addition, if the enamel is chipped on the front tooth, then the smile will look unaesthetic.
  2. If a piece breaks off, damaged tooth tissue - dentin, then such a chip can also be painless, but dangerous for further functioning. Due to damage, the tissue weakens significantly; mechanical stress causes microcracks to form, which destroy dentin day by day. If you don’t grow a tooth in time, you can lose it completely.
  3. The most dangerous type of chip is tooth decay with exposure of nerves. Such damage often occurs when a tooth splits into two parts and it will not go unnoticed, as it is accompanied by severe pain. It is necessary to urgently visit the dentist so as not to introduce bacteria into the tooth and take measures to restore it.

What to do if a tooth is broken?

If a piece of a tooth breaks off, you should not panic. The situation is not so dangerous as to torment your nerves once again. First of all, you should look at the extent of the damage and build a rough action plan based on this. For mild to moderate chips, you should call the dental clinic and make an appointment.

Chipped tooth with pulp damage

If your nerves are exposed, it is simply pointless to wait for the appointed date, since the pain will not allow you to eat or sleep peacefully. It is better to immediately go to the emergency dentist or, if possible, arrange an emergency visit to the treating dentist.

To reduce pain, you can lubricate the damaged tooth with a swab soaked in novocaine.

If you cannot visit a doctor in the near future, you must carefully observe oral hygiene: brush your teeth twice a day, rinse your mouth with salt water after eating.

Specialist help

No matter how insignificant the chip may seem, in any case it must be shown to a professional in this field to get recommendations and fix the problem.

Dental treatment scares many people, but it is better to immediately repair a tiny crack than to have the tooth removed later.

The dentist will assess the situation with an experienced eye and offer the optimal treatment option, which may differ depending on the nature of the chip and the location of the tooth.

What to do if your front tooth is broken?

The front teeth are visible, so a chipped piece on them can turn into a “disaster” for public people. Depending on how large a piece has broken off, your doctor will recommend different treatment options.

In almost any situation, it is possible to restore a piece of tooth using artistic restoration using composite materials. The dentist will select the color of the restoration paste and apply it in layers, securing each level with light radiation.

An ignorant person will not even understand that the tooth has been augmented. This is one of the most effective and economical methods that will be offered in any clinic. The filling is very resistant and durable, at the same time it matches the color of the teeth and has a natural shine.

The photo shows the restoration of a chipped front tooth with a veneer

A more expensive method of treating a chip is veneer coating. As a rule, it is resorted to in case of significant damage, if it is not possible to build up a filling.

The ceramic coating is applied from the base of the tooth and completely repeats the desired shape. strong and durable, while they do not lose their color over time.

If a large piece breaks off, a crown will be required. Typically, ceramic, cermet or zirconium oxide are used depending on personal preference.

The process of installing a crown is accompanied by its fastening either to the outer teeth or by installing a pin. In prolonged cases, the latter method must be used to treat the front tooth. If you visit the dentist on time, you can get away with only minor intervention.

Treatment of lateral teeth

When treating a lateral or, as it is also called, a posterior tooth, the same methods can be used, but not all of them are justified. Since the side teeth are usually not visible to others, it is enough to eliminate the chip with a filling.

The dentist will use a light-hardening filling to fill in the tooth deficiency, thereby extending its service life.

True, unlike the front teeth, veneers are rarely installed on the side teeth. Even if a very small piece of the tooth wall and root remain, you can build up the remaining part using composite materials or install a crown.

Particular attention should be paid to the problem of exposed nerves. In this case, treatment is first aimed at an antiseptic effect. If the nerve is damaged, it will be removed in several steps and a tooth will be formed that will last for a long time, even if it is “dead.”

Vertical crack

The most unpleasant thing about chipped teeth is the presence of a vertical crack that touches the pulp, which means restoring the tissue with a filling is not possible. In such cases, patients complain of a tooth split in half, and often one of the halves is loose.

Even a barely noticeable crack can cause enormous damage, not to mention deeper damage. Every day there is pressure on it, so the tooth tissue, although it is imperceptible, is destroyed. Eventually a split will occur, which will cause not only inconvenience, but also, most likely, severe pain.

the tooth is split in half, one half is loose

Small cracks can be “patched” using an enamel restoration procedure. Strengthening the surface of the tooth will extend its service life.

If this does not help, and the microcrack continues to grow, the dentist will suggest strengthening it with veneers or a crown.

Failure to take such measures will result in tooth decay, which, based on statistics, will be impossible to restore. The tooth will be removed and a prosthesis will have to be installed in its place. The same treatment will be carried out if a tooth is split in half.

Damage to a baby tooth

Many parents believe that baby teeth do not need to be treated, since they will still change over time. This misconception especially concerns chips.

Healthy baby teeth are the key to strong teeth in adulthood. If a piece of a baby tooth falls off, it is important to determine the cause of the destruction. Most often the problem lies in injury.

Parents should disinfect the mouth and the chip site and go to the dentist. The dentist will apply a preservation gel and also prescribe a treatment that is appropriate in a particular case. Most often, you can get by with a regular filling, which will strengthen the tooth until it falls out.

Chips on teeth are also undesirable for children because they can negatively affect resistance to diseases such as stomatitis. In addition, even increased tooth sensitivity can affect the child’s mood and well-being.

Possible difficulties and problems

The presence of a chip in itself is an unpleasant fact, but if you turn a blind eye to its treatment, you can develop a number of accompanying problems:

  1. One of the undesirable consequences is pulp infection. Infected tooth tissue will not only cause severe pain, but may also be completely destroyed, leading to tooth loss.
  2. Chips can cause cysts and granulomas.
  3. Severe chipping caused by trauma can change the angle of the tooth root. This will cause it to shift, sometimes the entire row will shift, the bite is disturbed. When the root is tilted, the damaged tooth is removed and prosthetics are prescribed so that the dentition does not move from its usual place.
  4. The most minor complication is increased tooth sensitivity. A person will react to the temperature of the food and drinks consumed, and discomfort may appear from using the usual hygiene products: toothpaste, mouthwash, refreshing spray.

And although chips do not seem to be a dangerous problem, they must be corrected in a timely manner. It is much more effective to instantly react to the slightest changes, be it a small crack or a minor chip, than to get into a hopeless situation with tooth extraction and further prosthetics.