Will Your Chipped Tooth Heal On Its Own?

Most people don’t expect to deal with a chipped tooth at some point in their lives, so if it happens to you, you might not be sure how to handle it. Your first thought might be to wait and see if the tooth will heal by itself, but is that really an option? Or are you going to have to see your dentist for a solution? Here’s what you need to know to take care of a chipped tooth in Accra.

Can a Chipped Tooth Repair Itself?

Technically, teeth can’t heal the same way the rest of your body can. That’s because despite looking like your bones, tooth enamel doesn’t have any living cells. As such, your teeth rely on a process called remineralization to fix any minor damage; this involves taking calcium and phosphate from your saliva to replace parts of the dental structure that were lost to daily biting and chewing.

While remineralization helps keep your teeth strong and can replace small amounts of enamel, the process doesn’t work for more extensive damage. That means if you have a chipped tooth, the problem won’t take care of itself. You’ll need to see a dental professional as soon as possible so that you can restore and protect your tooth.

So How Can a Chipped Tooth Be Treated?

The treatment that your dentist recommends for a chipped tooth will largely depend on how severe the damage is. Sometimes a chipped tooth is a dental emergency while in other cases it may just be a cosmetic issue. Below are some of the treatment options that are available for chipped teeth:

• Minor chips can be repaired with veneers, which are thin porcelain shells that can be attached to the front of your teeth. Veneers can be an excellent solution for improving the appearance of a chipped tooth because they can also correct other cosmetic flaws at the same time.
• If a large piece of the tooth has broken off, we might recommend a dental crown. This will restore the original shape and size of the tooth, and it will also protect it from further damage. Some crowns are made out of tooth-colored materials, meaning they can make it look as though the tooth was never damaged at all.
• In the worst-case scenario, a chipped tooth might have become infected. Oftentimes, an infected tooth can be saved with root canal therapy and restored afterward with a crown. But if the infection is already too severe, the tooth might have to be extracted and replaced altogether.

You won’t know for sure how serious a chipped tooth is until a dentist has had the chance to examine it. Even if it’s not causing you any pain, it’s still a problem that won’t go away on its own, so don’t lose any time in calling for an appointment.

About the Practice

At Bethel Dental, we want all of our patients to have access to top-notch dental care and a wide variety of treatment options. We offer excellent customer service along with the latest dental techniques and technology. If you ever have a chipped tooth, we can gladly offer veneers, crowns, root canal therapy, and other services to repair the damage. To schedule a consultation with us, please visit our website.