Broken Tooth? First Aid, Treatment, Costs and Recovery Tips

Finding out you’ve broken a tooth can be very stressful. You will feel intense pain whilst also being confused. Many reasons can result in a broken tooth such as physical trauma, playing sport and hitting a hard food item or deep cavities. How you deal with it straight away will determine if your dentist can save your natural smile.

Dental issues fall into the ‘Your Money or Your Life’ category. So it is important to get clear advice with high E-E-A-T standards. This article will give you first aid tips, clinical treatments, recovery advice and ways to help protect your mouth.

Why Would a Tooth Break?

Even though our teeth are very strong with a tough enamel exterior, they can still break due to:

• Physical Trauma – Colliding with something whilst playing sport, falling over or getting into a car accident can cause your enamel to crack and break.

• Hard Items – Chewing on ice cubes, hard sweets, un-popped popcorn and hard nut shells can cause your natural teeth to crack due to the intense pressure.

• Deep Cavities – Bacteria eating away at your teeth can cause deep cavities. This will cause your teeth to become weak and break under the pressure of biting.

• Tooth Grinding – Grinding your teeth heavily when sleeping (bruxism) can cause your enamel to wear down. This causes micro fractures.

• Large Old Fillings – Large old fillings can cause your natural teeth to weaken. This can cause your enamel to break.

What First Aid Steps Should You Take If You Break a Tooth?

Doing these steps straight away will help reduce the intense pain, prevent any cuts to your soft tissues and prevent bacteria from reaching your sensitive nerves.

• Rinse With Warm Salt Water – Put half a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water and swish gently around your mouth to remove any food particles.

• Keep Broken Pieces – Try to find any pieces of your broken tooth. Store them in a small container with fresh milk or saliva.

• Stop Bleeding – Apply a piece of sterile gauze or clean cloth firmly onto any bleeding from your gums, tongue or cheek for 10 minutes.

• Cold Compress – Apply a cold ice pack wrapped in a clean towel to the outside of your cheek for 15 minutes.

• Cover Sharp Edges – Cover any sharp edges with sugar free chewing gum or temporary dental wax to prevent cutting your tongue.

What Are the Different Types of Tooth Breaks?

Your dentist will look at how deep and angled your tooth has broken to decide how to fix it.

• Craze Lines – These are very superficial lines that only affect the enamel. They do not cause any pain and do not need any medical treatment.

• Chipped – Small chips can cause tiny pieces of enamel to break off. These can be easily filed or rebuilt by your dentist during a short appointment.

• Cracked – A line running from the chewing surface down towards your gum. These can be treated early to stop them from cracking further down into the root.

• Broken Cusps – The pointy part of your molar can break off. These rarely cause any pain to your deep nerves and can be easily fixed with a crown.

• Split – If cracks are left untreated they can cause your tooth to fully split. Unfortunately your dentist will not be able to save your whole tooth and will need to remove parts of it.

• Vertical Root Fracture – Cracks starting from deep in your root. This causes constant infection and usually means your tooth will need to be removed.

Which Diagnostic Tests Will Your Dentist Perform?

Your dentist will use specialist tools to look at the health of your pulp and bone.

• Magnifying – Your dentist will use high intensity lights and magnifying dental loupes to identify any small cracks and look at the exposed layers.

• Digital X-Rays – Digital x-rays will show any deep fractures, root damage and bone loss.

• 3D CBCT – Cone Beam Computed Tomography will give a detailed 3D view of your complex root canals, fractures and bone.

• Pulp Testing – Your dentist will use a gentle heat or electric stimulus to test if your nerves are still healthy.

• Gum Depth – Your dentist will test how deep your gums are around the broken area to see if there is any root fracture or bone loss.

What Are the Treatment Options for a Broken Tooth?

There are many treatments available to help fix your broken tooth.

• Bonding – Your dentist will bond a colored composite to your tooth to fix any small chips or cracks in one appointment.

• Crowns – If your tooth is badly broken your dentist will fit a full ceramic crown to fully cover your tooth.

• Veneers – Your dentist will bond a thin layer of custom ceramic to the front of your chipped front tooth.

• Root Canal – If your break has exposed or infected your nerve your dentist will clean out the infected canal. They will then seal it and fit a protective crown.

• Extraction – If your tooth is too broken to save with split roots your dentist will gently extract it to prevent any infection spreading to your bones and causing severe pain.

• Implant – Your dentist will fit a titanium post into your jawbone to hold a permanent natural looking crown.

How Should You Care for Your Tooth After Treatment?

Following these steps will help your soft tissues recover quicker and will leave you with little soreness.

• Anti-Inflammatory – Take over the counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen as advised.

• Soft Food – Eat soft foods such as yogurt, soups, eggs and mashed potato.

• Chew On Opposite Side – Be conscious to chew on the other side of your mouth to protect your temporary fillings.

• Brush Twice A Day – Brush your teeth twice a day using a soft bristled brush. Be careful when flossing near your temporary fillings.

• Avoid Extremes – Avoid eating boiling soups, hot coffees and ice cold drinks if your tooth is sensitive to temperature.

What Are the Possible Complications of an Untreated Broken Tooth?

Leaving your broken tooth untreated can cause serious complications and expensive emergency treatments.

• Deep Infection – Open fractures can cause harmful bacteria in your mouth to enter your nerve. This can cause severe infection.

• Abscess – Untreated bacterial infections can spread beyond your root tips and cause abscesses and swelling.

• Complete Loss – Leaving small repairs can cause cracks to spread down your root meaning you will lose your tooth completely.

• Ulcers – Sharp edges of your broken tooth will constantly rub against your tongue, cheeks and lips causing painful ulcers that won’t heal.

• Bone Loss – Untreated root infections can cause bone loss around your tooth. This can cause damage to your neighboring healthy teeth and change the alignment of your face.

How Can You Prevent a Tooth from Breaking?

Simple changes can help protect your natural teeth from breaking.

• Mouth Guard – Wear a custom mouth guard whilst playing contact sports such as basketball, soccer and martial arts.

• Night Guard – If you suffer from grinding or clenching whilst sleeping wear a custom night guard.

• Don’t Use As Tools – Never use your teeth to open plastic, tear tags, crack nuts or bite hard fingernails.

• Don’t Chew Hard Items – Avoid chewing on hard items such as ice cubes, pens, hard sweets and un-popped popcorn.

• Regular Check-Ups – Attend your dentist every 6 months for regular checks.

How Much Does It Cost to Fix a Broken Tooth?

The overall cost of fixing your broken tooth will depend on how bad it is, materials used and specialist treatments.

• Severity – A small chip can be fixed with bonding which will be much cheaper than a deep fracture needing root canal and crown.

• Materials – High quality ceramic, zirconia and porcelain fused to metal crowns will have different costs.

• Specialists – Specialist treatments from endodontist or prosthodontists show they have advanced training.

• Scans – Advanced scans such as 3D CBCT will have a cost.

• Insurance – Often your medical and dental insurance will cover a large portion of your necessary treatments.

What Key Steps Should You Take If You Break a Tooth?

• Rinse your mouth with warm salt water.

• Store any clean broken pieces in a small container with milk or saliva.

• Apply firm pressure with sterile gauze to stop any bleeding from your soft tissues.

• Apply a cold ice pack wrapped in a towel to the outside of your cheek.

• Cover any sharp jagged edges with temporary dental wax.

• Call an emergency dentist to get seen quickly.

• Avoid eating hard/sticky foods on the broken side.

• Follow all personalized aftercare advice.

What Are the Frequently Asked Questions About a Broken Tooth?

Can a Broken Tooth Heal?

Unfortunately a broken tooth cannot heal. Unlike broken bones there are no living cells in your enamel so it can’t regrow or join together. Only a qualified dentist can fix your broken tooth with bonding, crowns or root canal to seal out bacteria.

Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency?

If you’re experiencing severe throbbing pain, bleeding from your soft tissues, exposed nerves or facial swelling then it is an emergency. Even if you’re not experiencing any pain you should still visit your dentist as soon as possible to prevent any bacterial infections and deep cracks.

What If You Can’t See a Dentist?

Keep the area clean by rinsing with warm salt water after each meal. Cover any sharp edges with temporary dental wax. Eat soft foods and avoid chewing on the broken side. Visit a clinic as soon as possible.

Can My Dentist Save My Tooth If It Broke at the Gum line?

Yes! If the remaining root is still healthy and strong your dentist can often save it. They will perform a root canal, insert a small post into the disinfected canal, build up the core and place a custom crown over the root.

If your tooth has broken you need to act quickly and know what to do. By doing first aid at home, protecting your soft tissues and visiting your dentist as soon as possible you will protect your mouth. They can provide modern treatments such as bonding, crowns or root canal to help your mouth. Working with experienced professionals will ensure your tooth will be functional, attractive and healthy for years to come.