Broken Tooth Treatment

Tooth enamel is stronger than bones and made to last you a lifetime, but sometimes accidents happen. Extreme trauma from falls, playing sports, or even biting down on something hard like a popcorn kernel can crack, chip, or fracture teeth. This nightmare scenario guarantees a trip to your Calgary dental clinic, but fortunately, today’s dentists are experts at making teeth whole again.

Before You Get to the Clinic. If you or a family member has injured a tooth, there are a few important steps for you to follow. First, rinse your mouth well with warm water. If you can place the broken piece of your tooth or the knocked-out tooth back into its socket without any risk of swallowing it, do so. Otherwise, put the pieces of tooth or the knocked-out teeth into a cup of cold cow’s milk (any cow milk between full-fat and skim is fine, but do not put the teeth in a milk substitute or water). If you cannot put the tooth into its socket and you do not have any milk on hand, hold the tooth inside your cheek until you can see your dentist.

At this point, call your Calgary family dentist. If they can’t squeeze in your emergency, ask them for the name of a dental clinic (like Metro Dental Care) which can. Many Calgary dental clinics — like ours, always reserve time in the day for emergency care. Call us now at (587) 355-2524.

Once the call is made, rinse your mouth again if necessary and use a piece of gauze to apply pressure to any bleeding area for 10 minutes or until bleeding subsides. If you don’t have gauze on hand, a fresh (never-used) teabag will work in a pinch. To reduce swelling and pain, apply a cold pack to your cheek or lip over the broken tooth.

Getting to the Clinic. Even if you have your driver’s license, this is not the time to drive. Your body may be in shock, and you likely won’t be focusing well. Ask a friend, family member, or neighbour to drive to the dentist. If that isn’t possible, take a taxi or even transit if necessary.

Leave the Tooth Alone! It can be very tempting to run your tongue or finger along the sharp edge of your tooth, but please don’t. Not only are your fingers likely contaminated with bacteria, but you may badly cut yourself.

When you break a tooth, it can be very stressful. Depending on the size of the fracture, your tooth may require a filling, a crown, or simply a smoothing of the chipped surface. The sooner you seek care the better your outcome, so call us now at (587) 355-2524.