Broken Tooth and Infection
If you have recently experienced a chipped, cracked, or broken tooth, you should contact your dentist as soon as you can. If you put off treating a damaged tooth, it can result in significant issues in the near future.
Here are a few frequent oral health problems that can be the result of neglecting to seek treatment for a damaged or broken tooth.
Leaving a Broken Tooth Untreated
By choosing not to pursue proper treatment, your damaged or broken tooth is very vulnerable to an infection that can progress quickly. This painless infection will easily travel to your jaw, neck, and head, causing health problems. It is even possible for a broken tooth to result in a life-threatening repercussion.
There is no reason to expose yourself to this risk. Make an appointment with your dentist to evaluate the extent of the damage to the broken tooth to ensure it does not lead to additional problems.
Why is Visiting with Your Dentist Necessary?
Schedule an examination even if you have experienced no symptoms. An evaluation of a broken tooth is essential to protect and preserve your overall oral health. Neglecting proper treatment, it will cause any pain to linger and increase. Extracting the damaged tooth might then become the solution. Even though you have no immediate pain from your broken tooth, an infection can very quickly evolve and compromise both your oral health and overall health.
If your damaged tooth hurts, becomes sensitive to cold or hot, or begins to change in color, the pulp center of the tooth is now infected. Your dentist will identify and determine if the root has also become infected.
The pulp is the center of the tooth and is composed of blood vessels and nerves. Bacteria are constantly in your mouth, and it has the potential to invade the tooth and get to the pulp, causing an infection. It is quite common for the living pulp tissue to die as a result of a broken tooth.
Treatment Solutions for A Broken Tooth
If the examination has confirmed an infection in the pulp chamber, you will need a root canal procedure to remove the infected tissue and to then seal the tooth. Occasionally, a root canal may not be necessary. The correct treatment for repairing the broken tooth will be based on the severity of the damage and how quickly you pursue treatment.
Minor chips, cracks, or even breaks can be quickly and easily repaired with a dental filling or composite dental bonding. A dental crown is quite often a solution for a more severely damaged or broken tooth. If just a small part of the protective enamel is missing, a dental filling can be a successful restoration. If there is a chip or crack in a tooth, your dentist will easily apply, shape, and sculpt dental bonding to protect the natural tooth.
What To Do Until You Can See Your Dentist
You are able to do several things to reduce any discomfort as you wait. You can rinse your mouth with salt water, take an over-the-counter pain reliever, or cover the damaged tooth with sugar-free gum. Consider eating softer foods and trying not to bite down until your appointment.