What happens if you leave a broken tooth?
If you are someone who keeps regular dental appointments for exams and cleanings, you already are doing what you can to help keep your mouth healthy in addition to your at home care and dental routine. But there are accidents and other wear that happens over time that can leave you with a broken tooth. While a toothache or oral cancer may seem like the only dental issues that need immediate professional treatment, a broken tooth needs to be examined and remedied.
When you think your broken tooth is managed when the bleeding is controlled or doesn’t happen at all, you are wrong. It is very important to make an appointment with the dentist for an examination and to determine the best treatment plan for your specific case. Teeth can break for a number of reasons and some of those reasons can point to more serious underlying issues that should not be ignored. If you choose to postpone, delay, or avoid treating your broken tooth all together, you will start to experience more serious problems or complications that could have been avoided. And as dental problems worsen and become more complicated the cost of treatment usually increases as well. You can prevent suffering, pain, and extra expenses by making that appointment.
Even though teeth have enamel that makes them the hardest substance in the human body, teeth can break or be damaged. People who grind and clench their teeth leave their teeth weaker and more susceptible to cracking and breaking if they do not address their bruxism. Other people who use their teeth to open packages or as tools in other ways, can leave themselves with broken or cracked teeth. People who bite down on hard foods like ice, nuts, or hard non-food items and people who do not treat cavities are both people who may need to address a broken or cracked tooth. Even car accidents or accidental falls can result in a broken or cracked tooth.
When you choose to leave your broken tooth as is, then the pulp, or interior of your tooth are open to bacteria or infection. You may end up needing a root canal to address the inner infection of your tooth before the dentist can treat the broken tooth. The dentist may be able to save your natural tooth and help you avoid having to replace a missing tooth with a crown or a dental implant.
What should you expect when you make an appointment to treat the broken tooth? Well, it depends on the reason why your tooth broke in the first place. Once the dentist reviews your overall oral health, the reason for your cracked tooth, and the condition of your tooth, the dentist can review the best treatment plan options for you. The shorter amount of time between the moment you feel pain and hear a crack when biting down and the moment when the dentist examines your mouth, the more options you have and the better chance you have of being able to keep your tooth.