Chipped or broken tooth.

Chip, crack or break: telling them apart

The word broken covers a wide range of damage. Knowing roughly which kind you have helps you judge how quickly to call, though your dentist will need to look closely, and usually take an x‑ray, to see how far it extends.

• Small chip: a rough or sharp edge, usually on a front tooth, affecting only the outer enamel. Often not painful, and rarely urgent unless it’s cutting your tongue or lip.
• Larger fracture: a visible piece missing with yellowish dentine showing underneath. The tooth is often sensitive to air and cold and should be seen within a day or two.
• Broken cusp: a corner of a back tooth snaps off, often beside a large old filling. It may feel sharp or rough but often hurts surprisingly little.
• Cracked tooth: no piece is missing, but a crack runs into the tooth, causing sharp pain when you bite. Cracks can be hard to see.
• Broken at the gum line: most or all of the visible crown has come away. This needs assessment soon to see whether the root can be kept.
• Pink or red dot, or bleeding from the tooth itself: the nerve may be exposed. Call us as early as you can that day.

Why keeping the fragment matters

If a clean piece of a front tooth has broken off, find it if you can. Sometimes a fragment can be bonded back onto the tooth, which can give a very natural match. Pieces that have dried out are less likely to bond well, so store the fragment in a small container of milk or water and bring it with you.

Even if it can’t be reattached, the fragment shows your dentist how much tooth was lost. If the whole tooth has come out, root and all, that is a different emergency with its own steps, covered on our knocked‑out tooth page.

Cracked tooth syndrome

Some cracks don’t show up as an obvious break. Instead you get a sharp, fleeting pain when you bite on something particular, often worst as you let go, along with twinges from cold. The pain can be hard to pin to one tooth, and the crack may not appear on an x‑ray. This pattern is often called cracked tooth syndrome.

People who clench or grind, have large fillings, or chew ice and hard foods are more prone to cracks. Your dentist may test each cusp with a special bite stick, use a bright light or dye to show the crack, and check your bite. Treatment usually aims to hold the tooth together, most often with a crown or onlay, before the crack spreads further. If a crack runs down into the root, the tooth may not be saveable.

When to call us and when to go to hospital

Call us during opening hours for any break that causes pain, sensitivity, bleeding from the tooth, or a sharp edge you can’t avoid. A small chip that doesn’t hurt can usually wait for a routine appointment, but let us know so we can check the tooth hasn’t cracked deeper than it looks.

If the tooth broke in a fall, crash or sports collision, check for other injuries first. Go to a hospital emergency department or call 000 for facial trauma with other injuries, a possible broken jaw, any loss of consciousness, bleeding you can’t control, or swelling that affects breathing, swallowing or your eye. We can help with the dental repair once you’ve been cleared.

At your emergency visit

Your dentist examines the tooth and surrounding gum, checks whether the nerve is involved, and usually takes a digital x‑ray to look for cracks into the root or damage to neighbouring teeth. If the tooth was knocked hard, they may also check whether it has moved in its socket.

The first priority is comfort and protection. That may mean smoothing a sharp edge, covering exposed dentine with a temporary tooth-coloured material, or placing a protective dressing if the nerve is close. Larger repairs are often planned for a second appointment once we know how the tooth is responding.

Repair options, from simple to substantial

The right repair depends on how much tooth is left, where the break is and how hard that tooth works when you chew.

• Polishing: tiny chips can sometimes just be smoothed and left alone
• Composite bonding: tooth-coloured resin rebuilds a chipped edge or corner, usually in one visit
• Inlay or onlay: a custom-made piece restores a broken cusp on a back tooth while keeping more natural tooth than a crown
• Crown: covers and strengthens a tooth with a large break, a crack or a big old filling
• Veneer: may be suggested for a front tooth with a chip where appearance is the main concern
• Root canal treatment then a crown: when the break reaches the nerve or the tooth is broken at the gum line
• Removal and replacement: if the break extends well below the gum or down the root, options may include an implant, bridge or denture

Costs, children and protecting your teeth

Simple bonding is usually claimed under general dental cover, while onlays, crowns and root canal treatment tend to fall under major dental. Your dentist will explain each option before any planned repair. In children, a chipped adult tooth is usually repaired with bonding, as their teeth and nerves are still developing, and baby teeth are often simply smoothed and monitored.

To lower the risk of another break, avoid chewing ice, pens and hard lollies, and don’t use your teeth to open packets. A night splint may help if you grind, and a custom mouthguard is worth considering for contact sport.