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