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How Sedation Can Help You With a Chipped Tooth after an Accident

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Chipped teeth can vary in seriousness, but they always involve some damage to the enamel of your tooth.

st. louis man with tooth ache

Accidents are often traumatic events, even when they don’t result in injuries. The unexpected unfortunate event can affect your confidence and make you anxious and tired. When you also suffer injuries from an accident, you are dealing with a lot more on top of the mental distress. Sometimes injuries are not so serious but can become really uncomfortable. Such a case is when you chip your tooth as a result of a car accident for example.

Here is how to spot it and what to do about it.

Best Dentists in St. Louis. Really a great dental experience. I have used this office for regular dental care, cavities, crowns, and cosmetic dentistry. Teeth look great.
Response from the owner:Christopher we apologize for the belated response. We are very pleased to hear you have a great dental experience with our office! Thank you for your kind words. We look forward to seeing you at your next dental appointment!
Amazing
Response from the owner:Thank you so much! We truly appreciate the amazing review! ⭐️
Thanks Laina for making my visit great. You are the best.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’ll be sure to share your appreciation with Laina. 😊
Dr. Behl! I cannot recommend Dr. Maris Behl enough. If you have dental anxiety, she is truly the kind of dentist you hope to find. If teeth could be wrapped in pillows and protected by flying unicorns, Dr. Behl would somehow make it happen. I have significant anxiety around dental procedures and have needed deeper sedation for dental work in the past. From the beginning, Dr. Behl took the time to listen to my concerns and made me feel genuinely heard rather than dismissed or rushed. She created such a sense of trust and safety that I was eventually able to have my dental work done with only nitrous instead of full sedation, which is something I honestly didn’t think I would be comfortable doing. During my crown placement, she explained what she was doing throughout the procedure, which made an enormous difference in keeping me calm. She also took the time to address a filling that had been bothering me for what felt like forever — and she actually fixed the problem. What stands out most about Dr. Behl is how safe I feel in her care. She is compassionate, patient, communicative, and incredibly attentive to how her patients are feeling. For someone with dental anxiety, that combination is invaluable. Finding a dentist I trust this much has completely changed my experience with dental care. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Behl and would recommend her without hesitation, especially to anyone who has dental anxiety or has struggled to feel comfortable receiving dental treatment.
Response from the owner:Thank you for such incredibly kind words! We’ll be sure to pass this along to Dr. Behl. We’re pretty sure the flying unicorns are going to be the part she remembers most! 🦄💙 We’re so glad our team could help make your experience a more comfortable one.
Dr Thoms and his team are phenomenal. No question, the absolute best possible option for my child when he needed work done while sleeping (age based). While this option is not inexpensive, this set up of have anesthesiology in-house allowed us to get his mouth healthy when a traditional pediatric dentist could/would not. I am a parent that asks a lot of questions on behalf of my toddler’s care and at no point did I feel judged for this, nor was I rushed during my evaluation process during the consultation. Although the procedure is not one I would like to repeat for my child, my husband and I were both so pleased with how well Dr. Thoms communicated and how he clearly cared for our son’s wellbeing (both physical and emotional during a less than comfortable visit). Cannot recommend the back of house team more highly. My one detraction is the FOH staff (not everyone) were not nearly as pleasant. I would like to communicate that while their day-to-day is very routine for them, being in that office as a parent is very scary for some people in their office and a little bit of kindness goes along way. I do recall, having a very pleasant conversation with Rebecca, but otherwise everyone else was on the apathetic side, in my personal opinion. That said you’ll notice that I still am leaving a five star review because the dental staff really just knocked out of the park, but as a parent I want to encourage you to look past any rudeness you may experience over email or on the phone because Dr. Thom’s is really that excellent.
Response from the owner:Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback. We’re grateful to hear that our team provided compassionate, attentive care and took the time to answer your questions throughout the process. We also appreciate your comments regarding your experience with our front office team and will certainly share your feedback. Your kind words mean so much to us!

Symptoms of a Chipped Tooth

Chipped teeth can vary in seriousness, but they always involve some damage to the enamel of your tooth, which is the most important protection you have against cavities, infections and other oral diseases. If the enamel is cracked or missing a part of it, your tooth is now exposed to the elements.

But chips and cracks can be so small that you don’t notice them from the beginning. If your head was tilted suddenly during the car accident, you might have hit your teeth together with such force that chipping occurred. If nothing is visible, but you have one of the following symptoms, you might have a chipped tooth.

List of symptoms for chipped teeth:

  • Visible cracks or missing part of your enamel
  • Soreness in your tongue, where it catches the chipped tooth
  • Inflammation of the gums surrounding a tooth
  • Uneven surface of the tooth, which you can notice with the tongue
  • Pain in the tooth when biting on something
  • Sensitivity to cold or hot foods and drinks in the tooth

If you have one or more of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to speak with your dentist. They will discover the cause of your discomfort and solve the problem properly. If left unchecked, a chip or crack in the tooth, no matter how small or painless it is, can lead to bigger problems.

Sedation Dentistry for Chipped Teeth

Even if a chipped tooth sounds like a very small problem usually, it can be a very serious issue, even an emergency. Underestimating its effect on your oral health or treating it lightly, will not do you any favors. And if the chipped tooth was a consequence of an accident, it can be a traumatic experience, especially since in most cases the front part of the smile is affected, which can damage the patient’s self-esteem.

For these reasons, you can comfortably ask your St. Louis sedation dentist what your sedation options are when treating your chipped tooth. Whether they will use laughing gas, oral sedation or IV sedation, you will decide together what the best option will be for your situation.

To speak with a St. Louis sedation dentist give us a call today at (314) 862-7844.

Updated: August 14, 2024

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