The enamel layer that covers your teeth is hard enough to withstand a lifetime of chewing. But although teeth are hard, they are not unbreakable. And if you chip a tooth, that tooth now has a chink in its armour. But do you always need to repair chipped teeth, or can they repair themselves?
Tiny chips in teeth may not seem like a serious issue. However, even tiny chips in teeth can lead to more serious damage over time. If you choose not to repair chipped teeth, the following issues could occur later as a result of the untreated damage.
Chipped teeth can become susceptible to breakage
A chip may look small, but over time, that chip might worsen, especially if the chip is on a tooth that you use for chewing, such as a premolar or molar tooth. Hard foods especially can cause a chip to turn into a crack or fracture.
Chipped teeth may be at higher risk of tooth decay
The surface of an undamaged tooth is smooth. This smooth surface helps to prevent tooth decay-causing bacteria from clinging to the surface of a tooth. However, when you chip a tooth, the chipped portion of that tooth becomes rough and jagged. Oral bacteria can cling to rough surfaces more easily than they can to smooth surfaces. And a chip might also give bacteria a safe place to hide.
Oral bacteria cause tooth decay by breaking down enamel with the acids they secrete. So leaving a chip in your tooth might leave that tooth vulnerable to tooth decay.
Chipped teeth can become infected
Oral bacteria can invade teeth through craps and chips. And once bacteria invade a tooth, infection will set in. A tooth infection will kill the nerve inside a tooth. Once the nerve dies, an abscess will form inside the tooth, and the infection will begin to spread from the tooth to the surrounding gum tissues and even bone tissues.
Chipped teeth may need to be extracted later
If the damage to a chipped tooth worsens through breakage or severe infection, you may then need to have that tooth extracted. Losing a tooth will put pressure on your other teeth. And replacing a tooth costs a lot of money. It's better to repair the tooth today than lose the tooth tomorrow.
Even if a chip looks innocuous, consider having your dentist evaluate the damage. A dentist can then give you their professional opinion. Sometimes, repairing a minor chip can help to prolong the life of a tooth by many years.
Contact a local dental centre to learn more.
