Can Dental Injury Treatment for Children Repair a Chipped Tooth?

A chipped tooth needs urgent dental injury treatment for children. Children have a high risk of having dental injuries because of high-energy playtime, chewing on hard foods, and accidental falls. Bringing the child to the dentist can correct the damaged tooth. If you want to know if a dental injury treatment for children can repair your child’s chipped tooth, here are the details.

What a parent can do

It is not uncommon for children to have broken teeth. A parent should check the child right away. Unconsciousness or any serious injury will need immediate medical attention. If the chipped tooth does not have an accompanying medical urgency, seeing the dentist is important for dental injury treatment for children.

The dentist can evaluate the chipped tooth and see how severe the damage is. This will help the dentist decide how to repair the tooth. Over-the-counter medication can relieve any discomfort. Applying a cold pack over the area can relieve some of the swelling and pain. If the chipped part has been found, keeping it in water or saline solution can help the dentist assess the fracture. The dentist may even try to reattach the chipped-off part of the tooth.

Available dental injury treatment for children with a chipped tooth

Chipped teeth can receive proper dental injury treatment for children after proper assessment. The dentist can discuss the options with the parent and young patient. The dentist will suggest the treatment that can benefit the patient the most. Below are the common options for dental injury treatment for children:

• Dental bonding can treat large chips. It is ideal for chipping of front teeth since this affects the child’s appearance and smile. The dentist will apply a composite resin material to the damaged tooth. Matching the bonding material with the natural color of the neighboring teeth will make the treatment undetectable.
• Dental fillings can fix small chips from injuries or cavities. The dentist will use fillings to strengthen the area. Numbing the area will happen first before the dental injury treatment for children begins. This will prevent pain and maintain the patient’s comfort.
• Sometimes, doing nothing about the chipped tooth is ideal. This applies if the chipped tooth is a baby tooth that will fall out eventually anyway. The dentist usually will not treat the baby tooth if it does not show when the child smiles.
• Dental crowns can restore and protect the chipped tooth. This dental injury treatment is not common in children. The dentist will provide a cap or crown if the chip is large. This dental injury treatment for children is also for a chipped tooth caused by severe decay inside the tooth. The dentist will numb the tooth first and then shave away the damaged part. Covering the tooth with a cap can protect the tooth and improve the way it looks.