Hi, I’m Dr Judith, and I’m one of the Principal Dentists here at Elevate Dental in Melbourne.

Yesterday, I received a call from Susie, one of our regular patients here at our clinic in Hawthorn. She had just broken a tooth. She was panicking and she asked me, “What should I do?”

I noticed a lot of our patients are quite unsure what to do when faced with this kind of dental emergency. So, I thought that I’d make this video to help you, just in case it ever happens to you or your loved ones.

Number one, if you’ve broken a tooth, call your dentist. In the meantime, if the tooth is painful, you can take some Panadol and Nurofen, just to help with any pain. Make sure you rinse your mouth with saltwater.

Sometimes when the tooth breaks, the break can cause a really sharp or jagged edge. If it’s uncomfortable, what you can do is to cover it up with a piece of orthodontic wax that you can get from the chemist or alternatively, you can actually use some sugarless chewing gum. Just roll it up and just squash it onto the sharp bit, just to keep it from cutting your tongue or the inside of your lip and cheek, until you can see your dentist.

Broken teeth can range from small superficial chips to really large problems, such as the whole tooth collapsing. Sometimes broken teeth can be a sign that there may be a serious infection or serious dental decay that can lead to infection. Even if it’s not sore. Treatment for the broken tooth or chipped tooth will really depend on how severely damaged it is. Usually, if it’s just a small piece that’s broken off and there’s no pain, then we can, in most cases, repair it on the spot, by simply putting a white-coloured filling over there, and you can eat and drink straight away after it’s done.

If the breakage is a large one, then we need to figure out exactly why that’s happened in the first place. Sometimes it can be because the tooth has had a lot of work in the past and it’s just started to collapse. And other times it can also be a sign that there’s a really big hole underneath and the tooth has just hollowed out to a point where it has collapsed.

In both cases, it’s important to assess how severe the damage is, and provide you with options, both short-term and long-term, with a range of costs and really be guided by you as to what you feel is best for that tooth, as well.

I hope you find this video helpful. If you’ve broken a tooth, you should make an appointment with a dentist as soon as possible.

Here at Elevate Dental, we offer same-day appointments and we’d be happy to go through your treatment options and give you advice on how to fix your teeth. We’re conveniently located at both Hawthorn and Richmond with free onsite parking. Simply call us on 1300 2 SMILE, complete the form on our website, or directly message us on social media, and we’ll be in touch to help you organise your consultation. See you in the next video.

Note: All content and media on the Elevate Dental website and social media channels are created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.

 

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