What to Do When You Crack a Tooth

young woman holds her jaw in pain with a cracked tooth

Cracking a tooth can happen when you least expect it. Whether your tooth gets cracked from a sports-related injury or you’re eating something too hard, it’s important to know what to do in order to save your natural tooth and get pain relief as soon as possible. Keep reading to see what you should do if your tooth cracks.

What to Do Right When Your Tooth Cracks

If your tooth cracks, you should contact an emergency dentist right away. Then, you should gather any broken pieces of the tooth and gently rinse your mouth with warm water. If your tooth is bleeding, apply a clean piece of gauze to the tooth to help slow the bleeding. Make sure you get to the emergency dentist right away. The sooner they can repair your tooth, the less permanent the damage may be.

Dental Options for Fixing Cracked Teeth

Depending on how cracked the tooth is, there are a variety of ways your emergency dentist may repair it. If the crack is located on the chewing surface of a tooth, your dentist will most likely fill it with a tooth-colored dental filling. If the crack occurred on the outer front side of the tooth, they will most likely repair the crack with a composite resin bonding. If the tooth is cracked and the tissue inside of the tooth is damaged, an emergency root canal may be required before any repairs are made. When you go to your emergency dentist, they will examine the problem and make the best treatment choice for your specific case.

Your Go-To Emergency Dentist in Charlotte, NC

It’s always good to have an emergency dentist on standby in case a dental injury occurs. At River Vista Dentistry, we take great pride in offering same-day emergency dental services for patients in need. We recommend saving our number on your phone so that you can reach us right away if you need us. Please contact us to learn more!

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