You should be confident that our dental faculty at The Aga Khan University Hospital will be able to detect and successfully treat any dental problems you may have. Treatment for a chipped tooth will depend and vary according to the severity of the damage.
After examination, the doctor will be able to determine whether the chip is minor and has resulted in only a small piece of enamel being broken off, in which case the damage can be repaired simply. In cases where there has been extensive damage, you may undergo a tougher procedure.
Some of the ways your dentist could repair your chipped tooth include:
Dental Filling or Bonding – Your dentist may repair a small chip in your tooth with a filling. He or she may also use a procedure called bonding, which uses a tooth-coloured composite resin, if the damage is to a tooth in the front or can be seen when you smile. The dentist is able to use this procedure to make the repair look like a natural tooth.
Dental Cap or Crown – If the damage is greater and you lost a larger piece of your tooth the dentist may grind or file away part of your tooth and cover it with a crown. A crown is a custom-fitted covering (made of gold, porcelain, resin or other materials), that replaces your tooth’s natural crown.
Dental Veneers – A dental veneer is a thin shell of tooth-coloured resin composite material or porcelain that covers the entirety of the tooth with a thicker section in order to replace the chipped portion of the tooth. This option can be suggested when the front tooth has been chipped, as it can make it look natural and healthy again.
Root Canal – If the damage to the tooth is large and extensive, and has caused the pulp to be exposed, the pulp can become infected died, in which case it needs to be extracted.