What to Do if You Chip a Tooth

It’s something that a lot of people have nightmares about: chipping a tooth. Whether you accidentally bit down on something too hard or got bumped in the mouth, when you break a tooth, everything comes to a screeching halt. 

First and foremost, take a deep breath. No matter how bad your chipped tooth is, our Port Melbourne dentists can help you take care of it. Once you’ve eased your mind, however, there are a couple of important things that you need to do. 

Store Your Broken Tooth Fragment

Tiny slivers of chipped enamel can’t be bonded back into place. Instead, we’ll likely use composite bonding to cover the area so that it feels whole again. 

But if you have a moderate sized chip, we like to start by trying to cement your tooth back together. To do that, you’ll need to bring the broken fragment with you to our office. 

Locate the fragment and store it in a liquid to keep it from drying out. The best choices are milk or contact solution. If you use tap water, add a pinch of salt for pH level purposes. Put it in a sealed container so that there’s no risk of it spilling. 

Get to Our Port Melbourne Office Quickly

If we’re bonding in a broken tooth fragment, we need to see you within the first 1-2 hours. If you’re in pain, you’ll want to get to our practice as quickly as possible. 

When you arrive, we’ll determine if the fragment can be cemented back, if you need bonding, or if the fracture is so bad that a more comprehensive treatment is best (such as a crown.)

PMD Dental Care offers same-day emergency care for new and existing patients. If you’re in pain or have a broken tooth, contact us straight away.