Is a Chipped Tooth Serious?

A chipped tooth occurs when a small portion of a tooth has fractured from the tooth. It could range anywhere from a severe crack on the surface to a smaller or lesser chip on any edge. Any amount of damage threatens the overall integrity of the structure of your tooth because it weakens it and can also expose a nerve.

Unfortunately, there are no simple solutions to repair a chipped tooth at home. You need to consider your teeth to be like your bones. If you fractured a bone, you would not attempt to fix the bone on your own. You would seek professional help from a medical expert who has professional training to address the personal and unique circumstances of your situation to provide the best solution. Your teeth are no different. If your tooth is chipped or cracked, you need to visit your dentist so that the appropriate treatment can be provided.

Some Common Consequences of Ignoring a Chipped Tooth

1. Temperature Sensitivity- Temperature is not any pressure on the tooth, but it can still be extremely painful. Since the outer protective enamel has been compromised, the nerves of the tooth can be exposed. It will now become acutely sensitive to temperature, so simply enjoying cold water could result in discomfort. This will also apply to anything hot, with food or beverages. Hot tea or hot coffee might cause shooting pain through the tooth. This could dramatically affect your eating or drinking.
2. Pressure Sensitivity- Having a chip in your tooth will threaten your oral health because it can easily expose the nerve of your tooth. Cracks are quite often related to cavities, so the tooth is now weakened, agitated, and compromised. The decay weakens the density of the tooth, which results in cracking. The tooth is still vulnerable to additional damage after it chips or cracks for the first time. Putting pressure on a chipped or cracked tooth, even a tiny amount, might cause extensive pain.
3. You Can Cause an Infection- Since a chipped tooth quite often exposes the inner part of the tooth, it is now more susceptible to cavities and infection. You can damage the nerve of the tooth, or an abscess can form, which now become dangerous to your overall health. Even though a chipped tooth does not seem severe at first, it is best not to ignore it but instead seek professional help.
4. You Could Cause the Tooth to Break Altogether- Because a chip exposes the inner part of a tooth, the chip or fracture might leave the root of your tooth also exposed. This structurally weakens the tooth, making it easy for the tooth to break off in its entirety. If you simply bite or chew something hard, you might immediately turn the chipped tooth into a broken tooth. A broken tooth is now considerably worse and results in a more extensive treatment to fix.
5. You Could Cut Your Tongue- This is another small consequence of neglecting a chipped tooth. Since the chip is quite often sharp and jagged, you might end up accidentally cutting your tongue on the sharp edge, causing yourself more unnecessary pain.

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