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Chip Tooth Repair
Chip Tooth Repair
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Written by Nana   
Tuesday, 02 September 2008
How Do Dentists Perform Chip Tooth Repair?

There are a lot of us, chipped tooth owners, who think that since our broken enamel does not cause any discomfort at all, then it must be all right. Wrong, says dental experts. A strong, healthy tooth should not chip at all.
This is similar to bones: strong bones should not break under normal circumstances. And the human teeth are, in many ways, stronger than the human bones.

If a tooth does break off, there must be an underlying cause which should be given attention. It could be an indication of the onset of cavities, or severe trauma to the face. Or, the condition may have been brought about by a root canal treatment causing the tooth to become brittle. Or, this could be the case of a person who has congenitally weak enamel.

In any case, a chipped tooth must undergo immediate chip tooth repair. Otherwise, the fissure lines within the broken tooth might increase, which would also accelerate the deterioration of more enamel. If not caught in time, the tooth may be lost; and it may become difficult for the dentist to perform exodontia (or tooth extraction) if there is not tooth material left to hold on to. Also, a broken tooth is very unpleasant both to look at, and to use. Sooner or later, it will begin to damage the surrounding soft tissues like the tongue and the gums.

There are many chip tooth repair treatments available. Depending upon the actual fissuring of the tooth, dentists may try to save it (if it can be saved) by enamel shaping (putting in a fillings to hide the exposed dentin), to creating a tooth crown, and finally, to placing veneers on top of it. However, a terribly broken tooth may be in for an extensive root canal treatment before any patching up could occur.

Enamel shaping is one of the easiest forms of chip tooth repair. This process is also called enameloplaty or odontoplasty. Here, white dental fillings are used to patch up any small flaws to the surface of the tooth. However, this is only applicable if 99% of the tooth remains intact.

In cases where the damage is to extensive for a simple patch, another process of chip tooth repair called dental contouring and reshaping is used instead. Dental contouring and reshaping is a quick fix option similar to the creation of a crown. A tooth colored laminate is adjusted to the ends of the broken tooth and subsequently shaped (or contoured) to match the surrounding enamels. For a more permanent chip tooth repair treatment, ceramic crowns may be installed upon the advice of the dentist.

Lastly, the dental expert might also suggest the use of dental veneers. Dental veneers are teeth laminates that must be attached to the surface of the teeth. This is a perfect way of “creating” new teeth without the need to pull out the old, broken ones. The dentist simply outfits the tooth with an outer layer and bonds it to the tooth.