Chipped Teeth
Peoria, AZ
The hard layer of enamel on our teeth is an incredibly strong material, in fact it is stronger than bone, at 96% mineral. Even still, enamel is subject to chips, fracture and breakage. This is mainly due to how frequently we use our teeth chewing on both food and non-food items, though damage can also occur from impact injuries and falls. When teeth become chipped or fractured, there are steps that we can take to repair and enhance your aesthetic.
Enamel protects the inner layer of our teeth, allowing us to use them for biting and breaking down food. Chipped teeth can be unsightly, or even painful if the inner layer of dentin is exposed. Thankfully, there are options to repair and restore chipped teeth, often in just one to two office visits.
How can teeth get chipped?
We are provided multiple benefits from our teeth, including eating, creating certain sounds in our speech, and our teeth even play a large role in our facial appearance. When our teeth become damaged, these benefits can also be impacted. Teeth can become chipped in numerous ways including:
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Chewing on Non-Food Items: Putting non-food items in our mouths can have negative consequences. This includes pens/pencils, crunching ice, biting fingernails, and more.
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Weakened Enamel: Enamel can become thin or brittle making it easier to break. You should be strengthening your enamel by using toothpaste with fluoride, eating foods with calcium, drinking fluoridated water, and having boosts of fluoride as directed by our team.
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Sports and Activities: We love engaging in sports and activities, and encourage it for healthy living. When we do, we need to take protecting our mouth into consideration. Falls, bumps, collisions and other impact injuries can cause painful and expensive mouth related injuries. |
Restoring Chipped Teeth
If you have small chips or a large fracture of your teeth, it can be restored. We have options to suit every situation. Options including:
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Dental Bonding: Dental bonding is a great option for small repairs. It is completed in just one office visit. Using the same composite filler that we use for cavities following the removal of decay, we can fill the spaces of chips and small fractures. Composite is a moldable crushed quartz material that is blended with resin and shaded to match your teeth. It begins as a putty-like material that we can shape to fit the space and it adheres to the enamel surface. We then harden it with a blue light and polish it for a beautiful look.
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Dental Veneers: A dental veneer is a thin porcelain shell designed to fit over the front face of your more visible teeth. It provides a full tooth layer that can cover damage and even allow us to manipulate the look for a perfected appearance. Dental veneers are placed over the span of two office visits.
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Dental Crown: A dental crown is a full cap for a tooth, covering all sides of a tooth. Crowns are often used for larger damage, though some patients like the perfected look that comes with the use of crowns. Dental crowns provide high aesthetic along with a layer of protection to the natural tooth beneath. |
If you have any chipped teeth, contact Victor Nitu DDS at (480) 536-8228 today to schedule an appointment and we will be happy to repair it for you.
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