While tooth enamel is very hard, there are still situations when a tooth can suffer a bad chip or fracture. This is even more likely to occur if you have a habit of chewing on foreign objects or playing in contact sports without wearing a mouthguard. Even if the chip doesn’t cause sensitivity, you should still seek treatment and repair at The Dental Office of Encino. The damaged tooth enamel could trap bacteria and food particles, causing tooth decay.

The severity of the chip in the enamel will determine the repair or restoration method that your dentists, Drs. Alan M. Howard and Yonatan Howard, recommend.

In cases like this, a minor chip can be repaired with a basic dental filling. If one or more of the teeth in your smile have chips, they might recommend having porcelain dental veneers installed over the face of each tooth.

If a chip is large or on a critical part of a tooth, your dentist might recommend restoring the tooth enamel with a dental crown made from either porcelain, gold, or base metal alloy.

In extreme case, the chipped tooth might also result in damage to the interior pulp. If this is the case, your dentist might need to perform a root canal to restore the damaged structures before mounting a dental crown.