Broken Teeth: Causes of Damage and Ideal Treatment Options
Dr. Bruce Wilderman is one of the leading dentists in the greater Philadelphia area, offering advanced cosmetic dentistry treatments for enhancing the aesthetics of smiles as well as effective restorative dentistry procedures to improve dental health and wellness. With regard to the latter, we want to focus on the issue of broken teeth, looking at a few causes of the tooth damage and how the issue can be treated.
Why Broken and Damaged Teeth Need to be Taken Seriously
Major chips and cracks to a tooth can result in more than just an aesthetic issue. Many times they can be quite painful, particularly when the chip or crack is very deep or pronounced. These chips and cracks can also potentially expose the internal structures of a tooth to oral bacteria, resulting in an infection and health issues down the line.
If you have suffered a major injury to the teeth, be sure to meet with a dentist as soon as possible so long as you do not suffer from any life-threatening or more pressing injuries. This will help prevent major dental health and general wellness issues.
Tooth Damage from Vehicular Accidents
Auto accidents and accidents on bikes are both common causes of tooth injury. Major blows to the mouth and the head can lead to major damage to the teeth and many other structures of the mouth.
Tooth Damage from Assaults
If you are physically attacked and sustain a blow to the mouth, this will likely lead to you experience a tooth injury of some kind. As with vehicle accidents, other trauma to the structures of the mouth may be sustained as well.
Tooth Damage from Sports Injuries
If you play contact sports (e.g., football, hockey) or engage in combat sports (e.g., mixed martial arts/MMA), you run a risk of sustaining a serious tooth injury of some kind. This can even occur in non-contact sports following an unexpected accident, such as a stray ball in baseball.
Tooth Damage from Accidents Involving Food
An accident that involves an especially hard bit of food (e.g., unpopped popcorn kernel, an unexpected bone) can lead to major injury to a tooth. This can happen more often than you think, and not just at the movie theater.
Treating Broken Teeth
For major tooth injuries and damage, the ideal treatment options tend to be inlays, onlays, and/or dental crowns. The extent of the injury will determine which option is the most ideal one for you and your needs.
Sometimes the injury to the teeth will be so pronounced, however, that the ideal option for treatment will actually be tooth extraction. In such cases, we can look into the use of a dental bridge or denture to replace the tooth that needed to be removed. Dental implants may also be used to address tooth loss if you have healthy bone and gum structure in place.
Tips for Preventing Major Tooth Injuries
In order to prevent major tooth injuries, there are a few precautions that can be taken:
- Bite and chew carefully and slowly whenever you're eating. This will help you enjoy your food more and avoid any unfortunate accidents as well.
- Wear mouth protection when playing contact sports or engaging in combat sports.
- Wear hear protection when riding your bike.
- Wear head protection when performing dangerous tasks at a job or worksite.
Schedule a Consultation for Advanced Dental Care Treatment
To learn more about all of your options for treating tooth injury and tooth damage, be sure to contact our cosmetic and restorative dentistry center today. The entire team here at Artistic Expressions Dentistry looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve the most ideal dental health possible.
