A tooth fracture can emerge when trauma is caused to the teeth or the face. Playing sports, for example, is a very common reason for dental fractures. If you get your tooth fractured, you need to have it taken care of as soon as possible. If you're worried about the procedure, or you avoid going to the dentist because of phobias, there are a few things you should know.

Preparations

If you have suffered from a tooth fracture, you'll need to go see an emergency dentist as soon as possible. Before you go, there are some precautions you should take. Firstly, you should not try to clean the tooth that has been fractured. If you have had a fracture so deep that the pulp in the tooth is showing, brushing the tooth can allow bacteria to enter the wound and settle in the soft pulp inside the tooth. You should not try to sterilise the tooth with different products either, as this could damage the tooth severely. If you have to touch the tooth for whatever reason, you should make sure to not touch the fracture to not invite bacteria into the wound.

Chipped tooth

If the tooth is merely chipped, it's not considered to be especially urgent. If you experience discomfort when eating, or you're in pain because of the chipped tooth, you can still go see an emergency dentist for it. They'll just cover the injury up with a material with the similar colour and texture as the tooth itself.

Root canal

If you've gotten a deep fracture, however, the procedure is more comprehensive. To prevent the tooth from dislodging, the dentist might try to attach it to the surrounding teeth. As the risk of infection is high when the pulp is showing, you might also have to get a root canal procedure performed. In some instances, the dentist will only wrap the tooth up to ease the pain and then re-evaluate if a root canal is really necessary.

Tooth extraction

In the most serious cases of tooth fractures, you might have to get the tooth partly or fully extracted. It doesn't alter from other tooth extraction procedures. You should also not worry about missing a tooth. The dentist will replace the tooth with a temporary plate to fill the space until you can decide on more permanent tooth replacement options. As you go to the follow up visits, you can decide if you want a prosthetic tooth and go through the different options without any stress, as the emergency procedure has already been done.  

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