Just the thought of oral care is often enough to make some patients avoid the dentist altogether. Others do not keep regular appointments because they do not know how to obtain affordable dental coverage. While avoiding regular oral maintenance can eventually lead to serious problems, immediate dental coverage is even more important if you suddenly experience a broken tooth.
Minor Tooth Fractures and How a Dentist Fixes Them
- Chips and “Craze Lines” – These are mild cracks in your outer enamel. Your dentist can file and polish any of these rough spots that you see or have been feeling with your tongue.
- Crack(s) Down to the Nerve – Don’t be fooled if the pieces appear intact for the time being. Your dentist may give your tooth filling(s) and a grounding to stabilize it. If the nerve is damaged, you may also need a root canal1.
- Broken Cusps – These are breaks in the pointed chewing surfaces of your teeth. Often, these do not require treatment at all. If they do, your dentist may give you an inlay or crown2 to maintain the tooth’s shape and integrity.
More Serious Fractures
- Severe Fracture with Exposed Nerve – Signs of this are a good deal of pain and bleeding. Your dentist will treat this with a root canal, topped off with a crown or filling.
- Vertical Fracture – This is when your tooth splits vertically into two pieces, causing damage to the root. Your back molars have more than one root, so if the break occurs in one of these teeth, your dentist may be able to crown it after performing a root canal. If none of the roots can be saved, your tooth will have to be extracted.
- Root to Surface Fracture – These fractures work their way up to the chewing surface. Because the area often becomes infected, these breaks are painful and frequently result in extraction.
When Should I Visit the Dentist for My Broken Tooth?
You should head to the dentist if you notice twinges of pain when consuming food and drinks that are very hot or very cold, or if you have severe, lingering pain in the tooth–a potential sign of nerve damage.
Situations When Teeth Can Crack or Fracture
- A fall or hit in the mouth
- Biting down very hard on something
- Weakening of enamel by tooth decay
Some fractures result in intense pain, but others have symptoms that are less acute. Regardless of the severity of your pain, broken teeth need to be fixed in a timely manner, and without breaking the bank! An affordable discount plan can help provide you the emergency dental coverage you need.
Why Do I Have to Visit the Dentist?
Your dentist can determine if a cavity has caused or exacerbated the break, and treat the decay before it spreads further. He or she can also diagnose any damage to the nerve inside your tooth, damage that will require more severe treatment and cause you great pain if ignored.
Why Do I Need Dental Coverage for a Broken Tooth?
As you can see, fixes for broken teeth run the gamut from a quick polish to root canal to extraction. As you might imagine, there is a very wide spectrum of prices you could pay for various treatments. A quick polish and filing may only cost you a few extra dollars, while other procedures could easily be in the thousand-dollar threshold if you do not have dental coverage.
When you realize that you have a cracked or fractured tooth, one of the first thoughts you may have is, “How can I make this affordable?” Fortunately, you do not need to tackle this expense on your own. There are excellent discount dental plans that can provide the affordable dental care you need. Don’t suffer in silence with a cracked or broken tooth. If you have a broken tooth, you may want to investigate cheap dental coverage today. With the money you save, you will have good reason to smile.
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1 Root Canal: This endodontic therapy involves removal of a tooth’s inner pulp tissue to prevent further damage or infection. After the pulp is taken out, the dentist cuts out the nerve and cleans out the inside of the tooth. He or she then fills the root cavity with a solid substance and seals the area. Though this procedure is commonly thought to be very painful, if properly performed you will feel little. Many dentists use local anesthesia during root canals. Discount plans often provide dental coverage of this expensive procedure, saving patients hundreds of dollars.
2 Dental Crown: A crown, which will cap or encase your remaining tooth, often greatly increases the likelihood of a successful, long lasting root canal. A crown is often necessary to maintain the shape and effectiveness of a tooth treated with a root canal. It will help the tooth to function properly without breaking. The crown process begins with a tooth impression. The impression is then sent to a lab expert, who will fabricate a crown to match your enamel. At a later visit, your dentist will insert and cement it in place. Many crowns will last ten years or more, and may need to be replaced overtime.