If a piece of your tooth that was a part of your body breaks off and is no longer a part of your body, then it is something that needs to be addressed by a dentist. Your chip could be a small one along the edge of your tooth that does not seemingly have any great impact on the rest of your tooth or the surrounding teeth but looks can be deceiving. There is no treatment you can do yourself at home to correct your chipped tooth, so you will need to call the dentist for an appointment.
Your teeth are just like your bones in your body. If you broke a bone, you would not try to set the fracture yourself. Your teeth need treatment from someone who is professionally trained. There are some serious problems that could arise from ignoring your chipped tooth or delaying treatment. Here are the five most common dangers:
1. Damage to your tongue
Probably one of the least serious complications of ignoring a chipped tooth, but your tongue does not have any protection from a jagged or sharp edge on your tooth. Why cause yourself more pain if it can be avoided. When a tooth chips, rarely does it break off and leave a smooth edge, so your chipped tooth is leaving your tongue in danger until the dentist is able to address it.
2. Sensitivity to pressure
Depending on the tooth that chipped and where the chip is on the tooth, the nerve in your tooth could be exposed or partially exposed. If your crack is due to a cavity, then your tooth’s structure is already compromised and probably causing you discomfort already. The density of your tooth is affected when you have a cavity and when a crack is added to the weaker tooth, you are at more risk of even more damage or losing the whole tooth completely.
3. Sensitivity to temperature
In addition to painful chewing or biting, exposing the nerve when you chip your tooth could cause painful eating and drinking all together. Any food or drink that you put in your mouth can cause you pain if the temperature is any different than the rest of your mouth. Even cold temperatures outside could leave you reeling.
4. Complete breakage or loss of your tooth
When you chip your tooth, an inner layer of your tooth is exposed without protection. The inner layers of your teeth are soft and rely on the outer enamel to keep your inner layers free from bacteria and debris. Without the outer enamel, your tooth does not have the same strength so just chewing can cause your whole tooth damage.
5. Infection
Just like your tooth breaking completely, exposing the inner layers to regular plaque it is usually protected from could leave you with an infection. This infection will cause the inner layers to swell and cause you pain. A common treatment for infected teeth is a root canal. So if you want to avoid the pain of an infection and the discomfort of treating that infection, an appointment with the dentist treating your chip could keep you safe.