If you’re struggling to figure out when you’re dealing with a dental emergency, you’re far from alone. According to the American Dental Association, an estimated 2 million patients head to their local emergency room each year for dental pain. People who need immediate treatment sometimes head to the ER after an accident, though others visit in desperation when they can’t find an emergency dentist.

Seeing a professional may bring you peace of mind when you’re experiencing tooth problems, but it isn’t always necessary right away. If you’ve ever chipped a tooth, for example, you may have wondered, “Is a chipped tooth an emergency? Do I need to see someone right away?”

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the details vary from situation to situation, but you likely need an immediate appointment if you’re experiencing pain. Let’s break down the details of when to visit an emergency dentist for a chipped tooth.

Is a Chipped Tooth an Emergency?

The answer to this question is trickier than you might think!

Most of the time, a chipped tooth does not require immediate attention. However, you should make an appointment with your dentist as soon as you realize a piece of your tooth is missing. Your dentist can help ensure the structural integrity of your tooth.

In some cases, however, a chipped tooth will qualify as a dental emergency. This is often the case when the piece that has broken off of the tooth is large.

To understand the difference, you’ll need a bit more info on tooth structure.

Your teeth consist of several different layers. The outermost layer is the enamel, a durable material that is the hardest substance in the human body.

Beneath the enamel lie the dentin and pulp, both of which are softer structures. These layers contain various tissues, blood vessels, and nerves. When these layers get exposed, especially as the enamel begins wearing away, you might start to notice sensitivity to hot or cold foods.

If you have a slightly chipped tooth that has not exposed the dentin and pulp, you may not need emergency attention. However, if enough of the tooth has chipped away to expose the sensitive layers within your tooth, you’ll need dental care as soon as possible.

How Can You Tell When to Worry?

Knowing about the structure of your tooth is great, but it may not help you figure out when you need a dentist. How can you tell on sight when cracked teeth are damaged enough for an emergency visit?

Identifying a Non-Emergency Chipped Tooth

If you’ve chipped a tooth in a way that only removed a bit of enamel, you should be able to tell by the tooth’s color. The tooth will still be a single shade of white, and you shouldn’t see any discolored or dark patches. Even the exposed section, or the part revealed when you chipped the tooth, should be the same color as the rest of your tooth.

When this is the case, you can call your dentist during their usual working hours to make an appointment. You shouldn’t have to worry about any more pain or sensitivity than usual, though you will likely be able to feel a noticeable texture change in the chipped area with your tongue.

In some cases, you may notice that the exposed inside of your tooth is a different color from the rest of it. A hint of brown or yellow inside the tooth may suggest that you’ve chipped away enough to expose the dentin as well.

When this happens, you will likely notice increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods. Your tooth may also feel more sensitive when you put pressure on it as you chew.

Despite what you might think, this is not usually a dental emergency! A minor exposure of the dentin will not cause major dental problems. In addition, the current sensitivity you notice should not worsen.

You can still call your general dentist during their regular business hours for this type of tooth problem. They may try to fit you in for an early appointment, but a rush to get immediate treatment isn’t often necessary.

Identifying an Emergency Chipped Tooth

If your accident has chipped away a significant portion of your tooth, you may have an emergency on your hands. In cases like these, you will see a large amount of brown or yellow within your tooth. As a general rule of thumb, if it looks like you’ve lost a third or more of your tooth, you should seek care right away.

When a chipped tooth exposes the dentin and the pulp, it can cause severe pain and discomfort. In many cases, putting pressure on the tooth will worsen the pain. If you notice any bleeding coming from inside the tooth, it may be a sign that the pulp is compromised.

This happens when the fracture is deep. You may notice that the remaining tooth is loose. You may also have heard an audible crack when the tooth chipped.

Schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist as soon as possible after the damage occurs.

How Can You Do First Aid at Home?

While you’re waiting for your appointment, there are a few ways you can reduce pain or sensitivity and minimize the risk of complications.

First, keep any pieces of broken teeth that you can! If you do need to see an emergency dentist for a severe chip, they may be able to save the tooth. Preserve any chipped bits of tooth in a container with a bit of milk in it.

Next, rinse your mouth with warm water. This can help keep the area clean. Don’t touch the tooth itself.

If the accident has caused any bleeding, apply some clean gauze to the area and put pressure on it as best you can.

A cold compress or ice pack can relieve any pain or swelling as you do this. However, be sure to apply the compress to the skin outside your mouth, not to the tooth or gums. Whenever you use cold therapy, make sure never to do so for more than fifteen minutes at a time.

You can also take over-the-counter pain medications. Anti-inflammatory medicines can also help with swelling, as can clove oil. However, be sure not to take aspirin or ibuprofen if you’re heading to the emergency dentist, as these can act as blood thinners and cause excessive bleeding during a procedure.

If the chipped area of your tooth is sharp enough to scrape your gums, you can put a small amount of dental wax over the area. You can find kits with dental wax at most drugstores.

While you wait for your dental appointment, try to avoid putting pressure on the tooth. Chew on the opposite side of your mouth as much as possible.

Note that these at-home remedies are no replacement for dental care! While they can help you reduce your symptoms, they won’t prevent the infection or tooth loss that can occur without proper treatment.

What Are the Chipped Tooth Treatment Options?

Your treatment options will vary based on how extensive the damage is.

Polishing and Bonding

For a slight chip that only involves the enamel, you may not need much care at all. In many cases, your dentist may polish the surface of the tooth. This allows them to smooth away any minor damage or jagged edges.

If your tooth has chipped and fractured, they may also need to use dental bonding to fill any crevices that have formed. This involves a special composite resin that matches the shade of your natural tooth. Your dentist will harden this resin with a laser or UV light before polishing it down until it’s indistinguishable from the rest of your tooth.

Dental Crowns

If your accident exposed some of the sensitive dentin beneath the enamel, or if your tooth chipped due to decay, your dentist may use a dental crown. Crowns are coverings shaped like your natural teeth. Most of them contain porcelain or zirconia, durable materials that can mimic the hardness of the rest of your teeth.

To add a crown, your dentist will file away some of your tooth around the area that chipped. They will then create a mold of your teeth to make a custom crown, giving you a temporary crown to use for a short period. When your new crown is ready, they will place it during a second appointment.

Not only are crowns a great way to protect your tooth from further damage, but they also preserve the look of your natural tooth.

Fillings and Root Canals

If the damage to the tooth has exposed the pulp, you will likely need a filling or root canal. If this damage isn’t addressed, your tooth may get infected. This may cause more pain over time, which is why it’s important to see a dentist as soon as possible for a more serious chipped tooth.

Fillings and root canals are procedures in which your dentist will remove any inflamed or infected parts of your tooth. Though most people associate the words “root canal” with extreme pain, this is a common myth! Modern root canals are often as simple as getting a filling.

When your dentist is done with the procedure, they will shape the filling or place a crown over the root canal so that it matches the rest of your tooth.

When Do You Need a Tooth Extraction?

In extreme cases, it may be impossible to save your tooth. If a serious accident chipped away a significant part of your tooth and caused it to fracture, your dentist may decide to extract the tooth.

Deeper chips and fractures always make extraction more likely. If a fracture extends beneath the gum line or a chip has split your tooth in half, your dentist is also more likely to perform an extraction.

If you need a tooth extraction, your provider will recommend cosmetic dentistry options that can replace the missing tooth. In most cases, they’ll recommend a dental implant, which can mimic the look and feel of your natural teeth. These prosthetics are also ideal replacements because they can last a lifetime.

How Can You Prevent Chipped Teeth?

If you’re worried about chipping another tooth in the future, keep in mind that there’s plenty you can to do reduce your risk. Teeth can chip for a huge range of reasons, and some of these are within your power to fix.

Cavities can sometimes become the culprit behind a chipped tooth. If you have poor dental hygiene, you may be at a higher risk of tooth damage. When your teeth are weakened or fighting bacteria, they are more likely to fracture with pressure.

Contact with hard objects can also cause chipping.

This is the case with accidents like falls and facial trauma. Though these accidents aren’t always possible to prevent, you should always take steps to protect your teeth. Wearing a mouth guard while playing contact sports, for example, can help prevent damage if you take a bad fall.

People with tongue or cheek piercings are also more likely to chip their teeth. If you’re in the habit of chewing hard objects like ice or using your teeth to open packages, you might also be putting your teeth at risk.

Excessive nighttime teeth grinding (also known as bruxism) is another common issue. Your enamel is a hard material, but it can wear down or fracture when it comes into contact with the rest of the enamel in your bite. This can be even worse if you have metal amalgam fillings, which can be strong enough to cause excess pressure on the teeth below.

Using a night guard when you sleep can help with this. Many patients also find relief by managing stress, which can contribute to teeth grinding.

Let Us Handle Your Tooth Emergency

Is a chipped tooth an emergency? We hope this blog has helped you understand that the answer can vary a great deal!

If you’re wondering about your specific tooth, you don’t have to wait and worry alone. Instead, let the emergency dentists at Pinnacle Dentistry diagnose your condition and provide a comprehensive treatment plan. For immediate dental care, call us at 719.590.7100.