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Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth

If the entire top of the tooth is broken off but the root is still intact, the dentist or an endodontist (a dentist who specializes in root canals) may perform root canal therapy and place a pin or a post in the canal, and then build up enough of a structure onto which a crown can be made. Later, the dentist can cement the crown over the pin or post-retained restoration.

What to Do If You Chip or Break a Tooth

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It can really hurt to chip, crack, or break a tooth. Teeth can be damaged in any number of ways, and the damage can be slight or extensive depending on the condition of your teeth and the type of injury.

Unless the damage is a minor chip, there’s no permanent way to fix it without seeing a dentist. The best thing you can do in the meantime is to address the pain and protect your tooth and the inside of your mouth to avoid further injury.

Long wait times are often cited as a downfall of universal healthcare systems, but wait times in America have reached a new high, too. The average time to make a physician appointment as a new patient in 15 major U.S. cities is now 24 days, up 30% in just 3 years (2014 to 2018) according to physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins.

While doctors don’t advise home fixes for broken teeth, there are some things you can do to protect your tooth and mouth.

What to do after you break a tooth

If you break or chip a tooth, you should rinse your mouth with warm water right away to clean it, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). Apply pressure to stop any bleeding, and place a cold compress on the area to reduce swelling.

If you can find the piece of broken tooth, wrap it in wet gauze and bring it with you to the dentist.

What to do if you lose a tooth

If the tooth has popped out of your mouth, use a gauze pad to grasp it by the crown and place it back into the socket if possible.

If the tooth looks dirty, you can rinse it off with water. Don’t scrub it or clean it with any other solution, and don’t clean off any bits of tissue.

If you can’t get it into the socket, you can place it in a glass of milk, saline solution, or water. Try to get to the dentist within 30 minutes.

Chipped tooth pain relief

Flush the inside of your mouth with warm water, and apply cold compresses to the outside area every few minutes to keep down the swelling.

You can take over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, but make sure you don’t take more than the recommended dosage.

You can also apply clove oil to the area. The oil contains eugenol, a numbing agent with anti-inflammatory properties.

How to protect your mouth until you see a dentist

If your tooth has a small chip and a jagged edge, you can apply dental wax over the edge to keep it from slicing your tongue or damaging your mouth. This isn’t recommended if you have a large chip or a section of tooth is missing, as you could break off more of the tooth by flossing.

Many drugstores carry OTC temporary kits that contain dental wax.

Avoid chewing on the side with the damaged tooth, and try flossing around the tooth to reduce pressure and irritation.

The most common teeth to break are the molars of the lower jaw, probably due to their pointy cusps grinding powerfully into the grooves of the molars at the top of the mouth, according to a 2015 article published in the European Journal of Dentistry.

However, any tooth can break with injuries that range from slight cosmetic damage to serious injuries. Deep cracks can run down to the root or from the tooth’s center to the pulp chamber, which contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.

Cracks may not be visible, hiding inside the tooth or below the gum. Some cracks and chips have no symptoms or symptoms that may be confused for cavities, sensitivity, or periodontal disease.

Cracks that might not need treatment

Not every crack or chip is serious enough to warrant treatment, and some are quite common. For instance, craze lines are small cracks that occur in the enamel only and are common, according to a 2014 review of the literature .

Cracks that need to be seen by a dentist

You’ll likely need to see a dentist for anything but the smallest cracks or chips, because it’s hard to tell how deep the damage might be.

There are no effective home remedies to prevent further injury to your teeth and mouth, and the sharp edges of a cracked tooth could cut your soft tissues, causing more pain, infection, and potentially costlier treatment.

In some cases, untreated damage could lead to a root canal, tooth loss, or other complications due to infection.

Cracks that need to be treated quickly

While you can wait until an appointment for many types of tooth injuries, others may require emergency treatment.

If you knock out a tooth, for instance, the ADA advises that you may be able to save it if you can find it, put it back in the socket, and visit your dentist right away. It’s also considered an emergency if you’re bleeding heavily or are in a lot of pain.

Temporary broken tooth repair kits are available in drugstores and online and can be helpful while waiting to see a dentist.

Some kits include dental wax to cover jagged edges, and others contain material that can be molded into the shape of a tooth to fill in gaps left on broken or missing teeth.

These kits are only for temporary use and don’t address the deeper issues that could lead to infection, tooth loss, or other complications. They should not be substituted for proper dental care.

Treatment will depend on how big the crack or break is and where it is. Possible treatments include:

polishing
bonding
root canal and crown placement
tooth extraction and implant placement

Surface lines and tiny cracks may not require treatment, but a 2019 study indicated that cavities, a lot of pain, and X-ray evidence of a crack were all strong predictors that endodontists would perform restorative procedures.

Chipped tooth

If the damage is slight, a dentist may polish the surface or smooth a broken or jagged edge. This is called cosmetic contouring. They may also use dental bonding to fill in gaps and fissures.

In bonding, dentists slightly abrade the tooth, dab on a conditioning liquid, and then apply tooth-colored composite resin. Afterward, they’ll form it into the right shape. The dentist can also sometimes reattach a broken bit of tooth.

These procedures can often be done in a single visit.

Filling with possible root canal

A crack or chip that goes deeper than the surface will need more extensive repair. Sometimes, the crack extends down into the pulp, which may require a root canal.

During the procedure, an endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp, sanitizes the inside of the tooth, and fills and seals it with a rubbery material called gutta-percha. Afterward, they’ll cap it with a filling or a crown.

While the root canal is a metaphor for all that’s dreadful and distressing, this procedure is actually much more routine and far less painful than it once was — now, it’s usually no more painful than getting a filling.

Surgery

Molars have more than one root. If only one root is fractured, a root amputation can be done to save the rest of the tooth. This is called a hemisection. A root canal and crown have to be done on the remaining tooth.

Your endodontist may also recommend surgery to find cracks or hidden canals not caught on X-rays or remove calcium deposits from a previous root canal.

Extraction

Sometimes, a root canal won’t save a tooth. For many endodontists, the depth of the crack determines how likely they are to recommend extraction. A 2019 study found that the deeper the crack, the more likely the endodontists were to extract the tooth.

In the case of a split tooth, 98.48 percent of endodontists in the study chose to extract. A dentist may also suggest extraction if the crack extends below the gum line.

If you do have a tooth extraction, your provider is likely to recommend an implant that looks and functions like a natural tooth.

It can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars for a cosmetic procedure to $2,500–$3,000 for a root canal and crown, depending on where you live. If you end up having a tooth extracted and replaced with an implant, the cost may range from $3,000–$5,000.

Most dental insurance will cover some or most cost of tooth repair, depending on your policy, although many insurers won’t cover strictly cosmetic procedures.

Often, repairs might take just one or two office visits, but more extensive treatment may require you to miss some work.

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Abulhamael AM, et al. (2019). Treatment decision-making of cracked teeth: Survey of American endodontists.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31316014
Arabolu M, et al. (2014). Using an existing crown to repair a damaged cast post and core restoration.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4229817/
Dental emergencies. (n.d.).
mouthhealthy.org/en/dental-care-concerns/dental-emergencies
Hilton TJ, et al. (2019). Recommended treatment of cracked teeth: Results from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. DOI:
10.1016/j.prosdent.2018.12.005
Larson TD. (2014). Enamel craze lines.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25233570
Mamoun JS, et al. (2015). Cracked tooth diagnosis and treatment: An alternative paradigm. DOI:
10.4103/1305-7456.156840

Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth

You’re crunching ice or a piece of hard candy when you notice something hard in your mouth that doesn’t melt or dissolve. You get a sick feeling as you realize what it is — a piece of broken tooth.

Although the enamel that covers your teeth is the hardest, most mineralized tissue in the body, its strength has limits. Falling, receiving a blow to the face, or biting down on something hard — particularly if a tooth already has some decay — can cause a tooth to chip or break. If you discover you have broken or chipped a tooth, don’t panic. There are many things your dentist can do to fix it.

How to Care for a Chipped or Broken Tooth

If your tooth is broken, chipped, or fractured, see your dentist as soon as possible. Otherwise, your tooth could be damaged further or become infected, possibly causing you to end up losing the tooth.

In the meantime, try the following self-care measures:

If the tooth is painful, take acetaminophen or another over-the-counter pain reliever. Rinse your mouth with salt water.
If the break has caused a sharp or jagged edge, cover it with a piece of wax paraffin or sugarless chewing gum to keep it from cutting your tongue or the inside of your lip or cheek.
If you must eat, eat soft foods and avoid biting down on the broken tooth.

Treatment for a broken or chipped tooth will depend on how severely it is damaged. If only a small piece of enamel broke off, the repair can usually be done simply in one office visit. A badly damaged or broken tooth may require a more lengthy and costly procedure. Here are some ways your dentist may repair your broken or chipped tooth.

Dental Filling or Bonding

If you have chipped off just a small piece of tooth enamel, your dentist may repair the damage with a filling. If the repair is to a front tooth or can be seen when you smile, your dentist will likely use a procedure called bonding, which uses a tooth-colored composite resin.

Bonding is a simple procedure that typically does not require numbing the tooth. To bond a tooth, the dentist first etches its surface with a liquid or gel to roughen it and make the bonding material stick to it. Next, the dentist applies an adhesive material to the tooth followed by a tooth-colored resin. After shaping the bonding material to look like a natural tooth, the dentist uses an ultraviolet light to harden the material.

Dental Cap or Crown

If a large piece of tooth breaks off or the tooth has a lot of decay, the dentist may grind or file away part of the remaining tooth and cover it with a crown, or tooth-shaped cap, made to protect the tooth and improve its appearance. Permanent crowns can be made from metal, porcelain fused to metal, all resin, or all ceramic. Different types have different benefits. All-metal crowns are the strongest. Porcelain and resin crowns can be made to look nearly identical to the original tooth.

If the entire top of the tooth is broken off but the root is still intact, the dentist or an endodontist (a dentist who specializes in root canals) may perform root canal therapy and place a pin or a post in the canal, and then build up enough of a structure onto which a crown can be made. Later, the dentist can cement the crown over the pin or post-retained restoration.

Getting a crown usually takes two visits to the dentist’s office. During the first visit, your dentist may take X-rays to check the roots of the tooth and surrounding bone. If no further problems are detected, the dentist will numb the tooth and surrounding gum and then remove enough of the remaining tooth to make room for a crown. If a break or chip has left a large piece of the tooth missing, your dentist can use a filling material to build up the tooth to hold the crown. Next, your dentist will use a putty-like material to make an impression of the tooth receiving the crown as well as the opposing tooth (the one it will touch when you bite down). The impressions are sent to a lab where the crown is made. In the meantime, your dentist may place a temporary crown made of acrylic or thin metal.

During the second visit, typically 2 to 3 weeks later, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and check the fit of the permanent one before permanently cementing it in place.

Some dental offices have special digital milling technology that enables them to make a crown the same day without taking a putty impression. They may also have intra-oral scanners that create a digital impression that is sent to a lab in an electronic file.

Dental Veneers

If a front tooth is broken or chipped, a dental veneer can make it look whole and healthy again. A dental veneer is a thin shell of tooth-colored porcelain or resin composite material that covers the whole front of the tooth (much like a false nail covers a fingernail) with a thicker section to replace the broken part of the tooth.

To prepare your tooth, your dentist will remove about 0.3 to 1.2 millimeters of enamel from its surface. Next, the dentist will make an impression of the tooth to be sent to a dental laboratory, which will make the veneer. When the veneer is ready, usually a week or two later, you’ll need to go back to the dentist to have it placed. To place the veneer, your dentist will first etch the surface of the tooth with a liquid to roughen it. The dentist then applies a special cement to the veneer and places the veneer on the prepared tooth. Once the veneer is in position, your dentist will use a special light to activate chemicals in the cement to make it harden quickly.

Root Canal Therapy

If a tooth chip or break is large enough to expose the pulp — the center of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels — bacteria from the mouth can enter and infect the pulp. If your tooth hurts, changes color, or is sensitive to heat, the pulp is probably damaged or diseased. Pulp tissue can die and if it’s not removed, the tooth can become infected and need to be extracted. Root canal therapy involves removing the dead pulp, cleaning the root canal, and then sealing it.

Root canal therapy may be performed by general dentists or endodontists. Most root canal therapies are no more painful than having a cavity filled. In most cases, the remaining tooth must be covered with a crown to protect the now-weakened tooth.

Treatment for Broken or Knocked-Out Teeth

Call 911 if the person has a serious injury or is unconscious.

A knocked-out permanent tooth is a dental emergency. Knocked-out teeth can be reimplanted in many cases. A permanent tooth that is reimplanted within 30 minutes has the highest chance of success.

1. Collect Teeth or Teeth Fragments

Handle teeth carefully because damage may prevent reimplantation.
Touch only the crown, the top part of the tooth. Do not touch the root of the tooth.
Rinse the tooth gently in a bowl of lukewarm water for no more than 10 seconds only if there is dirt or foreign matter on it. Do not scrub, scrape, or use alcohol to remove dirt.

2. Re-Insert or Store Teeth

Rinse mouth with warm water.
If possible, reinsert permanent teeth into the correct sockets and have the person bite on a gauze pad to hold teeth in place.
If you can’t reinsert permanent teeth, or for baby teeth or teeth fragments, store them in whole milk or between your cheek and gum to prevent drying.

3. Treat Symptoms

Control bleeding with sterile gauze or cloth.
For pain and swelling, apply a cool compress. Encourage a child to suck on an ice pop.
For pain, take acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

4. Get Help

For teeth that have been knocked out, see a dentist or go to an emergency room right away. Take the teeth or teeth fragments with you. Even if the teeth have been reinserted, you should see a dentist.
For chipped or broken teeth, call a dentist.

Show Sources

The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide: “When Teeth Get Damaged.”

Worldental.org: “Emergency Broken Tooth Repair.”

Indiana State Department of Health: “Broken or Displaced Teeth.”

American Dental Association: “Dental Emergencies or Injuries.”

Doughlass, A. American Family Physician, February 2003.

KidsHealth: “Dental Emergencies,” “Knocked-Out Tooth,” “Tooth injuries.”

Children’s Hospital Boston: “Teeth injuries.”

Repairing a Chipped or Broken Tooth

What to Do If You Chip or Break a Tooth