Chipped and cracked teeth are a frustrating occurrence that is much more common than you might think. While it’s scary to lose part of a tooth, there are many different ways dentists can fix the problem. Whether you have insurance or not, the cost of fixing a chipped tooth can be pretty pricey, especially if you’re fixing more than one tooth.
However, if you’re fixing multiple teeth, you might want to consider another dental procedure, like veneers, which might cost you more upfront but fixes multiple issues for good. It’s also important to look at the root of the problem. Many chipped teeth are caused by internal issues that won’t go away with a crown or a dental bridge.
Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to fix a cracked tooth, as well as how much you can expect to pay for your procedures.
The cost of the treatments listed above varies. Typically, the more severe the damage is, the more costly it will be to fix your chip.
For instance, the cost of dental bonding or fillings is usually anywhere from $300 to $600. These treatments are much more manageable compared to the cost of a dental crown, which ranges from $500 to $2,500 per crown. If worse comes to worst, the cost of a tooth extraction paired with how much dental implants cost can hit prices upwards of $10,000 in total.
As you can see, it’s not cheap to fix a chipped tooth. Most dental insurance companies will cover the majority or the entire cost of restorative procedures to fix chips and cracks. That being said, more than 37% of Americans don’t have dental insurance, leaving many with very expensive dental bills.
Many people forget that teeth are bones. And just like bones, they can crack or chip. While your teeth are stronger than some of the smaller bones in your body, if your tooth’s enamel gets worn down, it will likely cause further problems in your tooth’s health and lead to cracking or chipping.
Enamel, the substance coating your teeth, is the hardest substance in the human body, but that doesn’t mean it's completely impenetrable. Enamel gets worn down by issues like cavities, root canals, or other internal factors. When you wear down your enamel, you open up a greater risk for your teeth to chip or crack. Although the general wearing down of enamel is inevitable with age, taking care of your teeth and visiting the dentist regularly will help you maintain excellent tooth health and prevent any further damage that might result in a chipped tooth.
Although chipping a tooth is one of the most common dental injuries, many people do not understand the difference between tooth breaks and chips. A chipped tooth is relatively easy to fix, but a broken tooth often signifies a bigger issue that might require a more extensive procedure. Thankfully, there are various symptoms you can check for to determine if you’ve chipped a tooth rather than broken it.
There are various reasons why someone’s tooth might chip or crack. While some of these reasons lie below the tooth, other reasons might only be surface-deep. Thankfully, no matter where the issue comes from, several cost-effective dental procedures can help fix your chipped tooth.
If you don’t keep up with a regular schedule of brushing and flossing, it can cause your tooth enamel to wear away. When this happens, your teeth will naturally become weaker and more susceptible to chips and cracks. Poor dental hygiene on top of a chipped tooth can lead to tooth decay and a general decline in your overall tooth health. Be sure to brush twice a day and floss daily.
Sometimes, a tooth can break simply due to blunt physical force. If you get hit by a baseball, walk into a door, or even bite down on a fork a little bit too hard, you can chip your teeth. While not every common injury leads to a chipped tooth, sports injuries, and sudden hits to your face or jaw often cause your tooth’s enamel to break off, leaving your tooth more susceptible to a break.
Speaking of biting on a fork too hard, other hard objects can break your teeth. This includes foods like the pits of fruits, hard candies, or popcorn kernels. Additionally, trying to bite open a package or chewing on plastic can lead to chipped teeth.
Calcium and fluoride are two important nutrients for teeth health. Calcium ensures that your bones are nice and strong, while fluoride strengthens the tooth’s hard outer surface to protect against cavities. If you’re not getting enough of these nutrients, it can weaken your teeth and make them chip easily.
Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding is a condition that many people have and might not even be aware of. Grinding your teeth often occurs in your sleep, which can wear away your enamel, exposing the more brittle parts of your teeth. Over time, this can make the top and bottom parts of your teeth more prone to cracks.
Chipping a tooth can be scary, but knowing what to do right away can help you avoid more serious complications down the line.
The way that a dentist can fix a chipped or cracked tooth depends on how severe the damage is.
The first thing you should do if you think you’ve chipped your tooth is rinse your mouth out with warm water. Your cracked tooth will likely be very sensitive to temperature, so be sure to use warm water rather than hot water.
Many dentists recommend adding a teaspoon of salt to the warm water to get rid of any bacteria. Swish this solution in your mouth for about one minute and after every meal, until you can see a dentist. This step can keep irritants away from the tooth and clear away any blood.
Speaking of blood, if you’re experiencing bleeding from your crack, you can use gauze and apply pressure to the area to form a clot and stop the bleeding. Be sure not to put pressure on your tooth,or agitate the area around it, as it will likely be sensitive.
Once the gauze has quelled the bleeding, you can apply an ice pack to the area of your face where the tooth cracked to reduce swelling and pain. Rather than applying any polarizing temperature, place the ice pack on your cheek to help numb the tooth’s surrounding area.
You can also take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever to manage the swelling, but be mindful of using too much Aspirin or Ibuprofen if you’re experiencing major bleeding. These drugs can increase blood flow and your risk of bleeding. Taking these drugs once or twice is fine, but if your bleeding increases or you have to wait a significant amount of time before your dentist appointment, it might be better to use an anti-inflammatory pain reliever.
If you can’t get an emergency dental appointment right away, try to cover the cracked tooth up as much as possible. Go to your local pharmacy and see if they sell dental cement or wax, then cover the damaged area of your tooth. This will prevent other teeth and your gums from the chipped tooth’s jagged edges.
Once you’ve covered your tooth up, you’ll want to try and avoid further irritation while eating. Stick to soft foods and avoid any liquids that might be too hot or cold. If possible, chew your food on the opposite side of your damaged tooth, avoiding any unnecessary contact.
It’s important to see your dental provider as soon as possible when you chip a tooth. Call your dentist right away or make an appointment first thing the next morning. Dental hotlines are a great way to receive help immediately. The dentist will either come into the office to help you or recommend a location where you can receive immediate care. If you can visit a dentist within the first few hours of your chip, they have a greater chance of fixing it without long-term damage.
If you can preserve the chipped part of your tooth, you will likely get it fixed quicker and easier. Often, if you have a piece of your tooth that cracked off, your dentist can successfully reattach it. Put the tooth in milk or saliva to prevent it from drying out until you’re able to visit the dentist. Don’t worry if you can’t get the chipped part of your tooth reapplied. There are several treatments you can choose from in this instance that will help restore your beautiful smile.
If you have chipped your tooth, there are various ways your dentist can go about fixing it. The first thing they will have to determine is how damaged the tooth is by deciding if it’s a minor or major chip.
Minor chips on your teeth can easily be smoothed or polished down by your dentist. These little infractions might happen if you bite down hard on something or neglect your tooth’s health. Minor cracks are also called ‘craze lines’ and look like surface cracks on your tooth’s enamel.
Just because a chip is small doesn’t mean it won’t progress into something more serious. Be sure to seek help and treatment after small chips to get them fixed up right away and reduce the risk of potential problems.
People can often identify major chips in their teeth when the internal nerve is exposed or a significant amount of your tooth’s outer structure has been chipped. Because major chips reveal your tooth’s inner structure, it is no longer protected, and therefore, more likely to get a tooth infection. There are various ways teeth can be chipped, but significant trauma and low tooth health usually lead to major chips.
The cost to fix a chipped tooth varies depending on how detrimental the chip is. Thankfully, there are several dental treatments patients can choose from when they’ve chipped their teeth. Here are a few of the most popular treatment options.
If part of your tooth comes off in a crack and you’re able to preserve it, your dentist might be able to reattach that part of your tooth. Tooth reattachment is a faster and less complicated procedure than some of the other dental options available.
In this process, the dentist uses adhesive systems like resin to reattach the broken tooth fragment to the remaining tooth. Although there might be a noticeable line, the tooth should still function fine and continue to heal after the process.
Tooth fillings are a common procedure used to replace infected material of a tooth that has been affected by tooth decay or cavities. But they can also be used to restore the structure of your tooth following small instances of damage.
Filling, or dental bonding, is a simple procedure that can be done right in a dentist’s office. First, the dentist roughens the surface of the tooth to make it easier for the bonding material to stick. Next, an adhesive is placed over the area before a tooth-colored resin fills in the chips or cracks. Ultraviolet light is then used to harden the material and make it stick.
Dental bonding usually costs between $300 to $600 per tooth and helps to improve your smile.
Veneers are one of the most common cosmetic dental procedures. Veneers usually cost between $900 to $2,500 per tooth, which is why they aren’t the most popular treatment if you’re just dealing with one chipped tooth, moreso if you have several unhealthy or chipped teeth in need of a replacement or help.
That being said, if your tooth is chipped beyond repair, you can invest in one veneer to avoid any further damage to your gums and other teeth. Veneers look extremely natural and can be colored to match your other teeth’s color, so as not to draw attention to the artificial tooth.
A dental onlay is an extremely popular procedure to fix minor and major tooth cracking. An onlay is a molded structure that fits inside and outside parts of your tooth to prevent further damage. Dental onlays are typically made of dental cement, but they come in a variety of materials, such as porcelain, ceramic, and composite resin. Dental onlays are often the same color as your teeth, so no one will notice a difference from your other teeth.
Dental inlays, like fillings and dental crowns, are also a common treatment for chipped teeth. Although dental crowns cost a bit more than typical fillings, a patient can opt for a temporary dental crown until they’re ready for a permanent fix. All of these dental procedures help protect the chipped tooth from any further harm, while also restoring its ability to function.
Dental bridges are artificial bridges made of multiple dental crowns. The bridges fit on either side of a missing tooth and look just like real teeth. Because dental bridges are such an extensive treatment, they usually cost around $4,313.
If you’re still curious about everything involved in the process of fixing a chipped tooth, here are some frequently asked questions about the procedures, costs, and other concerns.
If you get a minor chip, you might think that you don’t need to go through the effort of seeing a professional for assistance. However, small chips in your teeth can open the door to bigger dental problems later on, especially if you don’t fix them immediately. Once a chip threatens the enamel on your teeth, it makes it much easier for more damage to occur.
An untreated chipped tooth can infect the inside of your tooth, also known as the pulp. An infected pulp can often lead to a lot of pain and discomfort, as well as the risk of potentially serious complications like sepsis. Not to mention, the tooth can decay over time, leading to a potential tooth extraction.
Even if you experience a small crack, it never hurts to visit a dentist.
There are several types of chipped teeth and ways you can fix them. Here are the most common types of chips:
Depending on how chipped and damaged your teeth are, the cost to fix a chipped tooth can range from a small cleaning and polishing fee to an expensive procedure, such as inlaying artificial teeth. Even the smallest cracks and chips can be expensive.
While chipping a tooth is often unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to avoid damaging your beautiful smile. Avoid biting down on hard food, like candy and ice. If possible, try to lessen your teeth grinding during the day and invest in a night guard to avoid further damage to your teeth. Maintaining your dental hygiene is one of the best and most important things you can do to prevent a chipped tooth in the future.
Cracked and chipped teeth are a lot more common than you might think. Regardless of how you chipped your tooth, there’s no need to panic. Chips and cracks in your teeth are extremely common and easy to fix.
Depending on the type of treatment you opt for, the cost of fixing a chipped tooth can get pretty expensive. Insurance can cover the cost of emergency care, its best to check with your provider to confirm coverage.
Sources:
Bruxism (teeth grinding) - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic
Fluoride & Dental Health | NIH
When teeth get damaged | Harvard Health
How hard is tooth enamel compared to other materials? | BBC Science Focus Magazine
