When dentists talk about the risk of you losing teeth, the conversation is often about dental hygiene and the consequences of neglecting your teeth and gums’ health. After all, neglecting daily dental hygiene can result in tooth decay and gum disease that, if not treated effectively, may place your teeth at risk.
Tooth decay and gum disease are common causes of tooth loss, but not the only ones. Unfortunately, people every day suffer damaged teeth and even lose teeth due to assault, abuse, accidents, and injuries. There’s a wide variety of problems that can be caused in these emergency scenarios, but a dentist in Winnipeg can address them all. Here’s the range of potential problems and how they’re addressed while undergoing smile repair in Winnipeg.
If your teeth sustain small chips
A dentist in Winnipeg can repair small chips using a moldable putty-like substance made of composite resins that are tinted to blend with your natural teeth. Your dentist will shape the putty to fill the chip, blend it seamlessly with the shape and profile of your tooth, then cure the resin under special light so that it will harden.
If a larger section of your tooth is broken off
If your tooth sustains a chip too large to be filled with putty, your dentist has two excellent alternatives: veneers and crowns. Veneers are thin shells often made out of porcelain that are laid over a tooth that has been prepared to receive it. Once bonded into place, the veneer will hide any and all imperfections in the original tooth.
If a very large section of your tooth is broken off
Chips too large to be filled with composite resins or covered with a porcelain veneer can be repaired using a crown. A crown is a thimble-like cap that slips over the top of your damaged tooth and covers that tooth all the way down to your gum line. The crown will be sized and shaped to fit your tooth very tightly so that it will bind that tooth together and to give it strength.
If the fracture affects the nerve or pulp of your tooth
Depending on the size, shape, and location of the damage sustained to your tooth, it may affect or expose the nerve or pulp inside your tooth. If the interior of your tooth is damaged, exposed, or infected as a result of the assault, abuse, accident, or injury, your dentist may need to perform a root canal procedure to save your tooth. Once the root canal has been performed and you have recovered from the procedure, your smile repair in Winnipeg will be capped off with a crown.
If your tooth is completely knocked out
In some cases, a tooth that has been knocked completely out can actually but put back into its socket. Whether that will be possible in your case depends on the condition of the tooth and tissue, and how quickly you and your dentist act. If you can find the tooth that was knocked out, rinse it gently and keep it moist. Contact an emergency dentist as soon as possible and take the tooth with you.
If the tooth can not be replaced, a dentist near you will do what they can to provide pain relief, to manage bleeding, and to avoid infection. They’ll also advise you about your various options for replacing that missing tooth. Those options include a dental implant and a bridge.
We hope you’ll never need to deal with damage to teeth caused in an assault, abuse situation, accident, or injury. If the worst happens, though, contact a dentist near you and ask for their advice about the best way to perform a complete smile repair in Winnipeg.