When you are playing sports or chewing away on tough steak, it can be a bit surprising to find that one of your teeth has cracked.
More commonly seen in children, cracked or chipped teeth may seem like a minor inconvenience, which may only feel a bit sensitive for a few days. However, even in the event that your damaged tooth starts to feel better, it is important that you book an appointment with your dentist as soon as you can.
While it is not observed as such, a cracked or chipped tooth is indeed considered a dental emergency, requiring the attention of an emergency dentist. Even if your tooth is not causing you discomfort, you should still aim to book an appointment as soon as you can, to prevent secondary complications.
Even if you know someone who has gone for a number of years with a chipped tooth with no secondary issues, it is still not worth the risk! Why? Read on to find out!
Decay
OK, so dental decay is never a good thing. Painful and visually unappealing, you should always try to stay on top of your dental health to reduce the chances of decay.
If you have a crack or chip in your tooth, bacteria will now have a trench to hide in, meaning that even a hard brush will not be able to dislodge them. What happens next? Cavities.
So, the moment you notice a crack or chip, call your emergency dentist!
Sensitivity
Another problem with cracks and chips is that they open a channel to the nerve of the tooth; in other words, your tooth is now more sensitive to both hot and cold stimuli.
While you may not consider this an issue worthy of visiting your emergency dentist, extreme sensitivity is a symptom and not a condition; therefore, the only way to resolve it permanently is to have the underlying issue treated.
Deterioration
Imagine a brick wall; it has been hit with a baseball bat and now, part of it is cracked or chipped.
Unrepaired and still taking pressure, small parts of the wall around the original damage will start to fall away, causing the wall to disintegrate until it is no longer usable. The same is true for your teeth.
Leaving a cracked or damaged tooth unrepaired can cause deterioration of the tooth, which will require a more extensive procedure to fix it.
Staining
If you have a crack in your tooth and you drink a lot of coffee, that crack will become more visible.
Acting as a highlighter, the tannins in wine, coffee or tea will settle into the crevice, making it more noticeable when you smile, something nobody wants.
Abscesses
Last (but not least), untreated cracks or chips allow bacteria a fast route to your tooth’s pulp, increasing the chance of infections or abscesses. Hardly a comfortable conclusion.
Rather than take that risk, make sure you have any cracks or chips repaired as soon as you can.
