What Should I Do if I Chip a Tooth?

So you have a chipped tooth…now what?

Dealing with any kind of dental damage can come as quite a shock. It can even be a little nerve-wracking when it happens. Luckily, our general, cosmetic and restorative dentists Dr. Jared Lawson, Dr. EJ Stringer, Dr. Tammira Badakhshan, Dr. Alex Sin Deuk Kim, and Dr. Nikta Pashai, periodontist Dr. Ashley Seals, prosthodontist Dr. Amos Chi, oral surgeon Dr. Brian Chang, endodontist Dr. Pratik Patel and orthodontist Dr. Stephen Tigani are all here to provide you with the care you need when dental issues arise.

It’s important that if you have fractured, chipped or cracked your tooth that you visit your emergency dentist in Frederick and Urbana, MD, as soon as possible. Leaving a damaged tooth untreated could lead to further damage. The technique we use to treat the tooth will depend on the extent of the damage.

If a small piece of the tooth has broken off the repair is pretty simple, while patients dealing with more severe fractures or cracks may require longer and more extensive dentistry in order to fully restore the tooth. Here are just some of the ways we will repair your tooth:

Dental Bonding

You know the tooth-colored material that’s used to fill a tooth after a cavity? Well, that same moldable material can also be placed over a small chip or crack to restore the tooth. First, we will choose to proper shade of bonding resin to use. Then we will apply it over the chipped area and shape it. Once the resin is shaped and trimmed, we will harden it with a dental light. The process is fast and painless.

Dental Crown

If there is a much larger chip in the tooth then the only option may be to buff away the damage and apply a dental crown. Since a large piece of enamel has broken off this can leave the tooth weak and prone to further damage. In this case, the only option will be to place a crown to restore and strengthen the tooth’s structure. A crown is often made from a tooth-colored material such as porcelain, and just like bonding the shade of the crown is matched to the rest of your smile.

Dental Veneers

If you are dealing with chips or cracks in the tooth that are large but don’t actually affect the integrity and function of the tooth then you may be able to get dental veneers to not just improve the shape of the tooth but also to strengthen it, as well. Unlike crowns, which fit around the entire tooth, a veneer is a thin porcelain shell that is bonded to the front surface of a tooth to improve its appearance. This requires far less tooth preparation (removal of enamel) to get veneers than it will for a dental crown.

The moment you face any problems with your smile it’s important that you have a dentist you can turn to in those moments for immediate care. Trust in our friendly, reliable team here at Pearlfection Dentistry, Located in Frederick and Urbana, MD, just 45 minutes from Washington, DC and Baltimore, and serving patients from all over Hagerstown and Germantown, MD. We provide comprehensive dentistry to patients of all ages.

Hours of Operation

Our Regular Schedule

PearlFection Dentistry

Monday:

8:00 am-8:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-8:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-7:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-3:00 pm

Saturday:

By Appointment

Sunday:

Closed

Our Location

60 Thomas Johnson Dr, Suite 1 Frederick, MD, 21702