How to Fix a Chipped or Broken Tooth

Cosmetic Dentist Serving Lakewood, Denver, Golden & Nearby Colorado

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While tooth enamel is durable, it isn’t indestructible. Every day, people chip or crack their teeth biting down on hard foods like ice or candy, or by trauma caused by a fall or sporting mishap. Whatever the cause, left untreated, a chipped or broken tooth can become more damaged and even become infected, leading to serious health issues and possible tooth loss.

Experienced dentist Dr. Scott Greenhalgh has been helping Denver-area residents address their dental needs for more than three decades. He offers a number of effective treatment options to repair chipped or broken teeth and help you have a strong, healthy, and beautiful smile for years to come.

Treatment Options for a Chipped or Broken Tooth

Depending on the cause and severity of your damaged tooth, Dr. Greenhalgh may recommend:

  • Porcelain filling: For very minor chips that only involve a small piece of tooth enamel, a porcelain filling may be used to repair the damage. The composite material used in porcelain fillings match the properties of your natural enamel, reducing the risk of future cracks.
  • Dental bonding: Using a tooth-colored composite resin, dental bonding is an effective and affordable way to fix a damaged tooth. In the quick, single-visit procedure, the bonding material is placed on the tooth and shaped to match the natural appearance of your tooth. A curing light is used to harden the composite resin.
  • Dental crown: Whether all porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, gold, or all ceramic with a zirconia lining (Lava™ crowns), dental crowns offer protection and reinforcement to weak, worn, and damaged teeth.
  • Porcelain inlays or onlays: If the tooth’s damage is not severe enough to warrant a crown, but significant enough to require more than a dental filling, a porcelain inlay or onlay may be appropriate. Inlays and onlays are small pieces of porcelain that are affixed to the tooth and serve as alternatives to either fillings or crowns.
  • Porcelain veneers: One of the most versatile dental treatment options available, porcelain veneers are thin shells of dental porcelain that adhere to the front of teeth to mask a variety of imperfections, including chips, cracks, gaps, stains, and more. With proper care, veneers can last for a decade or more.
  • Dental implant: If a tooth is damaged so severely that it must be extracted, a dental implant may be placed into the jawbone for a complete tooth/root replacement. Dental implants are the gold standard of tooth-replacement options, and the most permanent and reliable way to replace both a missing tooth and its root.

Schedule Your Appointment Today

If you’ve chipped, broken, or damaged your tooth, it’s important to act quickly. Call Scott Greenhalgh, DDS today at 720-484-8832 for an appointment. Dr. Greenhalgh proudly serves patients in Denver, Lakewood, and Golden, Colorado.