Broken Tooth and Infection
If you break a tooth but do not experience any symptoms, you may be tempted to ignore it and wait to have it treated but without proper treatment, a minor chip or fracture can eventually cause significant problems and even infection in the tooth. Your dentist will be able to evaluate the affected tooth to determine the best treatment in an effort to save the tooth. Left untreated, an infection in the tooth can actually travel into the jaw and even the neck and head, causing additional health problems.
Symptoms of a Broken Tooth
Pain and sensitivity are most often the first symptoms that you may notice with a broken tooth, though not every fracture causes symptoms. Even a small chip in your tooth can be very rough and cause sores on your tongue or cheek and eventually lead to further damage so it is important to have any chip or fractured tooth evaluated by your dentist as soon as possible.
For minor chips and fractures, your dentist may be able to simply smooth the tooth or apply some composite bonding to keep the truth together and keep it from getting worse.
Broken Tooth and Infection
If you experience a fracture that runs deep enough into the tooth, the pulp inside the tooth can become infected. Nerves and tissues are housed within the pulp of the tooth and cause pain when an infection develops from the naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth entering the pulp tissue.
Patients that experience severe pain with sensitivity to hot and cold foods and beverages likely have damaged the pop of their tooth which will then require root canal therapy to remove the infection and relieve pain. After a root canal, your dentist will restore the tooth with either a filling or a dental crown. Teeth that receive endodontic treatment need to be permanently restored to ensure structural integrity as the tooth will become brittle over time.
Emergency Dental Care
Sometimes a patient may experience a broken tooth when they cannot see their dentist right away. If you are able, take an over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Advil and rinse your mouth with warm salt water to keep everything clean. If you are out of town or cannot see your dentist immediately for another reason, you might consider visiting and urgent care clinic or emergency room for treatment.
If you have broken a tooth after business hours, go ahead and call your dental office anyway. They will provide an emergency number for you to call in order to reach your dentist and receive advice. Often, patients who have broken a tooth are able to see their dentist on the same day as most dental offices reserve time in their schedule specifically for emergencies.
Even if you do not experience any pain or swelling, it is important to see your dentist for any chip or break in your teeth. An untreated fracture can lead to infection which can quickly progress and cause more severe damage and require more invasive treatment to fix.