Chipped Tooth: What to Do First and How It Can Be Repaired

If you chip a tooth, rinse your mouth with warm water, keep any piece you find, cover the sharp edge and phone a dentist. A small chip with no pain is rarely an emergency, but it still needs looking at, because even a minor break can leave the tooth weaker or more sensitive than it looks. Bigger breaks, bleeding that will not settle or a tooth knocked clean out need help the same day.

The first hour

1. Rinse gently with warm water to clear away grit and fragments.
2. Look for the missing piece. If you find it, keep it moist in a clean container with a little milk or your own saliva and take it to the appointment. Sometimes a dentist can bond it back.
3. Calm any bleeding by pressing a clean piece of gauze or a folded tissue against the area for several minutes.
4. Ease swelling with something cold wrapped in a cloth, held against the cheek outside the mouth.
5. Cover a sharp edge with a small piece of sugar-free chewing gum or dental wax from a pharmacy so it does not cut your tongue or cheek.
6. Take a standard painkiller if needed, following the directions on the packet, and never hold a tablet against the gum.
7. Call your dental practice, describe what happened and ask how soon they want to see you.

How urgent is it?

Chipped, cracked or broken?

People use these words loosely, but dentists tend to separate them. A chip is a small piece lost from the edge or surface. A crack is a line running into the tooth, which may hurt when you bite or release, and is not always visible. A broken tooth has lost a large section, sometimes down towards the gum. Cracks can be the trickiest, because a tooth that looks whole may still be split underneath, so a sore tooth after a crunch deserves a check even without an obvious missing piece.

How dentists repair a chipped tooth

The fix depends on the size and position of the damage and whether the nerve is involved. Your dentist will explain which of these suits your tooth.

Smoothing and polishing

A very small chip may need nothing more than rounding off so the edge no longer catches. It is quick and usually painless.

Bonding

Tooth bonding uses a tooth-coloured resin that is shaped onto the tooth and hardened with a light. It is a common way to rebuild a chipped front tooth because it can be matched to the surrounding shade and done in one visit. Bonded resin can stain or wear over time and may need touching up.

Veneers

For a front tooth with a larger chip, a thin shell can be fitted over the visible surface. This usually takes more than one appointment.

Crowns

When a big part of a tooth has gone, a crown covers and protects what remains. Back teeth that take heavy chewing forces often end up with a crown after a significant break.

Root canal treatment

If the break exposes or injures the nerve, the tooth may need root canal treatment before it is rebuilt. Where a tooth cannot be saved, there are ways to fill the gap; the article on how modern dental implants replace missing teeth explains one of them.

Common questions

Can a chipped tooth heal on its own?

No. Enamel does not grow back once it has gone. A small chip may not need much treatment, but it will not repair itself, and leaving a sharp or weakened tooth alone can let it break further.

Why does it feel sensitive now?

A chip can expose the softer layer beneath the enamel, which reacts more to cold, heat and sweet foods. The guide to why teeth turn sensitive explains what is happening inside. Avoid very hot or cold food on that side until you are seen.

Can I wait until my next check-up?

Only for a tiny chip with no pain and no sharp edge, and even then it is worth telling the practice. Anything bigger, sore or catching on your tongue should be seen sooner.

Lowering the chance of another chip

• Do not use your teeth to open packets, bottles or hair grips.
• Take care with hard foods such as ice cubes, boiled sweets, popcorn kernels and stones in olives or cherries.
• Wear a mouthguard for contact sports, cycling tricks or anything with a risk of falls.
• Ask about a night guard if you clench or grind, since that steady pressure weakens edges over time and can even nudge teeth out of line, as the guide on why teeth shift explains.
• Keep acidic drinks to mealtimes and brush gently with a fluoride toothpaste, which helps keep the outer layer of each tooth strong.

Signs that need prompt attention

Get help quickly if a tooth is knocked out, if bleeding does not slow with pressure, if pain is severe or throbbing, or if your face, jaw or neck begins to swell. Swelling with a fever can point to infection and should not wait. After any blow to the face, also look out for headache, dizziness or confusion, which need medical rather than dental care.