When a tooth becomes damaged, you may feel uncomfortable about your smile’s appearance. However, damage can impact much more than just your tooth’s appearance. Fortunately, we can fix a chipped tooth, and often in a single visit, using cosmetic dental bonding.
How Does a Damaged Tooth Impact Oral Health?
The outer layer of our teeth, known as enamel, protects the tooth from harmful bacteria. In fact, enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. However, when the enamel becomes weakened due to injury or poor oral hygiene, the inner layer of dentin, which is very sensitive, is exposed. Soon, bacteria can cause a cavity to form. Without treatment, a cavity can cause serious discomfort and even lead to an infection or abscess. For that reason, we always recommend patients come to us for a diagnosis and treatment if they damage a tooth. We can help protect their tooth from major complications and in severe cases, the premature loss of a tooth.
Dental Bonding
In order to repair a chipped tooth, we may recommend dental bonding. We first clean the tooth and remove any decay. We then etch the surface of the tooth. We prepare the composite resin material, which we also use for tooth-colored fillings. We also shade the material to color-match it to your tooth. We apply the material in multiple layers, curing it with a light. As the composite resin cures, we can sculpt and mold the tooth. We finish the procedure by thoroughly polishing the tooth for a more natural appearance. The entire procedure, from start to finish, only takes a single visit.
In cases where the damage is more extreme, we can still treat the tooth with a custom-made dental crown. If you have any questions or concerns about your chipped tooth, or about our dental bonding procedure, then please contact our office today.
Ready to Try Dental Bonding?
Dr. Janet Goguen, DMD, can fix your tooth in one visit with cosmetic bonding. Call our office in Upton, MA, today at 508-529-4591 to schedule your next cleaning. We proudly welcome patients from all surrounding communities, including, Grafton, Hopedale, Whitinsville, and more.