Chipped Tooth Enamel Needs Timely Treatment

Each of your teeth has an outer layer made up of enamel. This mineral substance is what provides your teeth with the necessary protection to chew your food efficiently and protects your teeth from decay. It is possible to damage your enamel. This can be caused by teeth striking one another at improper angles, a trauma to the face, chewing on ice or things like pens and pencils.

Even if you aren’t experiencing any initial pain or sensitivity in the tooth with damaged enamel, the compromised area could be at a heightened risk of developing a severe cavity. Rather than risk these unnecessary complications the wisest course of action is to have it examined by our dentist, Dr. John Cloud. If the compromised area of tooth enamel is small he might be able to treat the tooth with simple composite or amalgam filling. This process starts with the dentist numbing the tooth and local gum tissues. Then he will carefully remove a small amount of additional tooth enamel to create the necessary texture for bonding the dental filling in place. The dental filling material he uses will depend on affected surface and how visible it will be when you smile. Composite dental fillings can effectively mimic the natural appearance tooth enamel. This makes composite resin the preferred choice for treating a highly visible area. Amalgam dental fillings are durable, which makes them a better option for a chipped tooth in the back of your mouth.

If you live in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area and you have recently suffered a chipped tooth, you should call 501-868-3800 to have it examined and treated at Cloud Family Dental.