Dentist in Fort Worth, TX offers dental bonding for tooth chip

Quality dental care improves and maintains a patient’s oral health and quality of life. No one has perfect teeth all the time. Accidents such as chips or breaks can happen. These imperfections detract from the appearance and function of your smile. If a tooth chip occurs, contact Dr. Vidya Suri, a dentist in Fort Worth, TX, to have it repaired quickly and efficiently. For small chips, dental bonding may be an option to restore the damaged tooth.

How a chip or break occurs

Even with the best intentions and precise oral care, the unexpected can occur. Sports injuries, hard foods, and even decay can cause damage to the teeth. The most common ways teeth may chip, or break include:

• Sports injuries – Dental accidents are common during contact sports. Wearing a mouthguard and/or helmet helps protect the teeth and minimize damage to the lips, cheeks, and tongue.
• Hard foods – Chewing or biting down on hard food can cause damage to the teeth. Avoid biting down on ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy. Not only can this habit chip or break a tooth, but it can also damage a crown or filling.
• Decay – Decay spreads through a tooth and weakens the structure. Once weakened, cracks and breaks are possible.

If your tooth chips or breaks, remain calm and contact your dentist. During your appointment, the dental team assesses the issue and devises a treatment plan based on your needs. A chipped, broken, or cracked tooth may involve different solutions. A broken tooth may include a broken cusp, severe breaks, small chips, or breaks from decay. The type of break determines the treatment options.

Dental bonding

A chipped tooth often occurs in the front of the mouth from something bumping the tooth. Generally, small chips are more of a problem aesthetically than functionally. Regardless, when trauma or damage occurs, you want the tooth to be corrected. This restores the form and function of the tooth. For small imperfections such as a tooth chip, dental bonding may be an option.

A small chip may be repaired with composite resin bonding. This treatment also restores or corrects dental imperfections such as gaps, discolorations, or decay. Bonding involves applying a composite resin material to the tooth’s surface. The material adheres or bonds to the tooth.

The tooth-colored material is used to address specific problems. It has the consistency of modeling clay so it can be applied to the tooth and molded into the proper shape. The dentist uses a special light to harden the material. Once hardened, the area is polished to ensure a smooth surface. The chip is covered and corrected. The tooth and smile are complete once more.

Dental bonding is ideal for small restorative or cosmetic issues. In some cases, bonding is a more economical option. Bonding may be used in the following situations:

• Closing a gap
• Fixing a chipped tooth
• Restoring a decayed tooth
• Changing a tooth’s appearance
• Protecting the tooth root when gums recede

What to expect

Bonding is a safe, simple dental procedure that needs little advance preparation and, in many cases, does not require anesthesia. The treatment is started and finished in one appointment. Dental bonding corrects the chip or problem while preserving the integrity of the natural tooth. The dentist uses a shading guide to match the bonding material to the natural tooth. This produces a quality aesthetic result.

The tooth is prepared with an etching material and conditioning liquid which allows the resin material to bond to the tooth. The tooth-colored bonding agent is applied to the tooth. It is trimmed and shaped to match the surrounding teeth and to look like a natural tooth. An ultraviolet light hardens the material within moments. The tooth is buffed or polished to smooth out any rough spots. From start to finish, the procedure takes about 30 to 60 minutes per tooth.

A dentist with an artistic touch and close attention to detail give patients optimal results when correcting a chipped tooth. Dental bonding can be a simple way to improve your smile and help you maintain good dental health.

When the unexpected occurs, you can feel confident knowing Dr. Suri and the staff at Sycamore Dental are available to address your dental needs. If you chip or break a tooth, contact our Fort Worth, TX office at (817) 438-1828.