Chipped a Tooth? What to Do Today and How It Gets Fixed (Bonding, Veneer or Crown)

1. Rinse gently with clean, lukewarm water to clear away debris. Do not scrub the broken tooth.
2. If the area is bleeding, hold clean gauze against it with gentle pressure. If bleeding does not settle, seek urgent care.
3. Look for the fragment. Pick it up by the enamel, not any soft tissue, and store it in milk or a clean container. Bring it to your appointment because it may help your dentist assess the break and can occasionally be reattached.
4. Use a cold pack wrapped in a cloth on the outside of your cheek for short periods if there is swelling.
5. Avoid biting on that tooth. Choose soft food and avoid very hot, cold, hard or sugary food if the tooth is sensitive.
6. If the edge is cutting your tongue or cheek, cover it temporarily with dental wax or sugar-free chewing gum. Do not glue the fragment back yourself.
7. For pain, use an over-the-counter medicine that is safe for you and follow the packet directions. Do not place aspirin on the tooth or gum.
8. Contact a dentist and describe the injury, pain, bleeding and whether the tooth feels loose. That helps the team decide how soon you need to be seen.

A tiny painless chip is not usually a hospital emergency, but it should still be checked because the edge may be weak, rough or difficult to clean. The situation is more urgent when the break follows a significant injury or affects the nerve, root or supporting tissues.

Contact a dentist urgently if:

• The tooth is very painful, loose, displaced or bleeding around the gum
• You can see a pink or red spot in the centre of the break
• A large section has broken off or the break extends near the gum
• There is increasing swelling, fever, a bad taste or other signs of infection
• The chip happened after a blow to the face, fall or sporting injury
• The tooth hurts when you bite or when you release your bite, which can suggest a crack

Call 000 or go to an emergency department for uncontrolled bleeding, trouble breathing or swallowing, loss of consciousness, suspected jaw fracture or another serious facial or head injury. Once medically stable, dental injuries still need dental assessment.

Nest Dental provides emergency dental care in St Leonards. If you are unsure, call and describe what happened rather than waiting for pain to develop.

Enamel is the hard outer layer of a tooth, with dentine underneath and the pulp containing nerves and blood vessels at the centre. Enamel is strong, but it can still fracture when force exceeds what the tooth can tolerate. Decay, erosion, wear, large fillings and existing cracks can leave less sound tooth structure to absorb that force.

• A fall, collision, vehicle accident or contact sport injury
• Biting ice, hard lollies, bones, olive pips or another hard object
• Using teeth to open packaging or hold tools
• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding, particularly when repeated over time
• Decay or acid erosion that has weakened the tooth
• A large older filling or a tooth that has already been cracked or heavily restored

A chip and a crack are not always the same problem. A visible chip removes part of the tooth. A crack can run through the tooth with little visible change and may cause a sharp twinge on biting. See our guide to a chipped or cracked tooth if your symptoms come and go.

Your dentist will ask how and when the tooth broke, then examine the tooth, gum and bite. They may check temperature sensitivity, tap the tooth, use a bite test and assess whether it moves. An X-ray can show the root, surrounding bone and some deeper damage, although very fine cracks do not always appear on an X-ray.

The repair is based on how much sound tooth remains, whether dentine or pulp is exposed, where the chip sits, the bite forces in that area and whether there is an underlying cause such as decay or grinding. The smallest suitable repair is usually preferred because it preserves more natural tooth structure.

For many small and moderate chips, composite resin is the most conservative way to rebuild the missing edge. The dentist prepares the surface, bonds tooth-coloured material to it, shapes the tooth and polishes the result. It can often be completed in one appointment with little removal of healthy tooth structure.

Bonding is repairable, but it can stain, wear or chip again, particularly with heavy bite forces or tooth grinding. It is not the right answer for every large break. See how we use tooth-coloured filling materials.

A veneer covers the front surface of a tooth and can restore shape, colour and symmetry. It may be considered for a larger visible chip in a front tooth when the tooth is otherwise healthy and there is enough enamel for reliable bonding.

A veneer is not automatically better than direct bonding. It usually costs more, takes more than one stage and may require irreversible enamel preparation. If the tooth is heavily broken, weak or under high bite force, a veneer may not provide enough protection. Your dentist should explain porcelain veneers and more conservative alternatives before treatment.

Back teeth take substantial chewing force. When a cusp has broken, a large filling has left the tooth weak or a crack needs stabilising, an onlay or crown may be considered. An onlay replaces selected parts of the chewing surface. A crown covers more of the tooth. Both are custom-made to restore shape and distribute biting forces.

The choice is not simply based on chip size. Your dentist also considers the crack pattern, remaining walls, existing restorations, bite and whether the nerve is healthy. Learn more about crowns and onlays.

A deep fracture can expose or inflame the pulp. Warning signs include spontaneous throbbing, pain that lingers after hot or cold, marked tenderness or a visible pink or red centre. Sometimes symptoms develop later, which is why follow-up can matter after dental trauma.

If the pulp cannot recover, root canal treatment may allow the tooth to be retained before it is restored. If the tooth is split below the gum or cannot be restored predictably, extraction may be discussed. An examination is the only way to distinguish these situations.

• Do not chew ice or use your teeth to open packaging
• Wear a properly fitted sports mouthguard for contact and collision sports
• Have decay, erosion and worn or failing fillings treated before more tooth structure is lost
• If you clench or grind, ask about managing the cause and whether a protective appliance is appropriate
• Attend regular checks so early cracks, decay and bite wear can be identified

Nest Dental can assess teeth grinding and provide custom sports mouthguards where suitable.

Whether the tooth is painful or simply feels rough, an assessment can show how deep the break is and which repair preserves the most healthy tooth. We will explain suitable options, risks and costs before treatment starts.

General information only, not a diagnosis. Reviewed by Dr Viki Karassellos, General Dentist. If you have a serious facial or head injury, uncontrolled bleeding, or trouble breathing or swallowing, call 000.