Teeth may fracture, crack or break from wear, a sporting impact, biting down on a hard object, an accident, an assault, tooth cavity or due to dental decay and oral infection. The reasons why teeth may break are numerous and only a dental professional can assess the extent of damage for tooth restoration or extraction. In most cases, dentists strive to preserve existing dental structure.
Individuals with broken teeth should contact their dentist for an appointment immediately. When the situation is severe, emergency dental care should be sought. In the interim painkillers may be used to alleviate pain and a compress applied to the side of the face where the dental pain is located.
If any part of the tooth or dental restoration has broken off the broken part should be kept and given to the dentist at the appointment. Depending on the type of broken tooth a dentist may restore the tooth through composite white filling, inlay, onlay or crown.
Where infection is present root canal treatment may be needed to eliminate the infection. In severe cases of infection and tooth damage, tooth extraction may be required but dentists do aim to preserve the existing tooth as best as possible.