Broken Tooth: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

When we try to eat a hard piece of food, sometimes under the pressure of the attempt to try to crack the hard substance, we end up breaking a tooth or with a crack in it. Although the enamel that covers the teeth is pretty hard yet it cannot prevent the breaking of teeth under extreme pressure. But there is nothing worry. Modern science has developed a number of treatments to fix a broken tooth. The first way is dental filling or bonding if a small portion of the tooth had broken. If the injury is in a front tooth that can be visible every time you open your mouth then bonding can be done. If a large part of the tooth had broken off then the remaining part of the tooth is ground away and a crown or cap is fitted in its place. If the entire top of the tooth is broken, then a root canal is the only way out. If the front of the tooth is broken then a dental veneer can do the job.

If an enamel of a small part of the tooth has broken off, then it can be mended in just one visit to the dentist and isn’t much of a hassle. Other methods may be dental filling or bonding. The dentist will repair the tooth by filling up. If any of the front teeth need repairing, then the dentist might opt for bonding, wherein he uses tooth-colored composite resin. The surface of the tooth is etched with a gel to make it rough so that the materials stick to it. Next, an adhesive is applied followed by the resin. The material is shaped into looking like a natural tooth and then hardened with ultraviolet (UV) light.

If a person gets a large chunk of a tooth broken or it is decaying then it is grinded off completely and the remaining part is covered with a crown to protect and to improve the tooth’s appearance. These crowns are made up of metal (which are the strongest), ceramic, resin or porcelain mixed with metal. All these have their separate uses. If the root is intact but the surface has broken off then root canal therapy may be the best option, so that a post could be placed over which a crown could be set up and cemented. For that to happen, two to three visits to the dentist may be required. The doctor will conduct proper physical examination of the broken tooth and the mouth and will take X-rays of the area. If there are no problems detected, a mild anesthetic is given to the patients to ease the pain of removing the remaining part of the broken tooth. It is then replaced by a crown, the impression of which is taken by a putty-like substance which is sent to the lab to be made to look like a real tooth. While the permanent crown is made, a temporary one made up of acrylic may also be used to cover the area and removed when the real one is to be used.

Other medical surgeries and dental care include:

1. Bonding: In bonding, a tooth-colored composite resin is used to repair the damaged tooth. The dentist etches the surface of the broken tooth with a liquid or a gel and makes the resin bind to it. Then an adhesive material is applied to the tooth followed by the resin. Then the bonding material is shaped in the shape of a tooth and the material is then hardened by applying ultraviolet light.
2. Crowning or capping: For larger injuries, crowning or capping is done by using a crown or tooth-shaped cap. Permanent crowns are available and for a ditto appearance, porcelain resin crowns can be used.
3. Root canal Therapy: In root canal therapy, the dentist places a pin or a post in the canal and then build a structure that can be used to fit a crown. Later, the crown is cemented over the restoration.
4. Dental Veneer: A dental veneer is a thin shell of porcelain or resin that covers the whole front of the tooth. In a root canal therapy, there are usually two visits associated.

Anyone with a broken tooth is eligible for any of the above-mentioned treatments depending on the extent of the damage done to the teeth because different treatments are applicable for different kinds of teeth damage.

Anyone without a broken tooth is not applicable for this treatment. Also, all the treatments are not the same so the dentist must be very careful about choosing the right treatment depending on the damage done to the teeth.

There are usually no side effects involved with any of the above treatments mentioned in the article. The only glitch is that the treatments must be performed with the best quality and sterilized equipment otherwise there may be a development of infection. Also, after the therapy, the guidelines of the dentist must be followed or there may be some kind of infection.

The post-treatment guidelines are given as follows –

1. The prescribed antibiotics and painkillers must be taken on time.
2. Within 12 hours of the treatment, avoid spitting, rinsing or brushing the teeth.
3. You can brush after 24 hours but do avoid the extraction site.
4. The gauze used for the treatment must be bitten for 30 minutes after the procedure.

It usually takes one to two weeks for the tooth to be fully functional. Within 2-3 days, a normal diet can be taken but care must be taken while eating a hard substance and very hard food should be totally avoided.

The price of the treatment varies according to the extent of the damage done to the tooth and also on the kind of treatment required. Anything between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000 can be needed for the treatment of one broken tooth. In addition to this, the consultation fee for the dentist and the cost of the medicines is there.

Yes, the results of the treatment are permanent as long as one does not make the same mistake of applying too much pressure while eating a very hard substance. Proper care of the teeth must also be taken in order to preserve them in a healthy condition.

There are no as such an alternative to the treatment because no one would like to be without a tooth or be with a broken one. But you can definitely avoid the condition by taking good care of your teeth and chewing the food carefully.