What are the problems associated with an untreated chipped tooth?
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
When a section of a tooth is fractured or broken, it needs to be treated immediately. Most people think that chipped or broken teeth is not a big deal. It will not be problematic unless the damage is little.
Otherwise, a partly damaged tooth will become an entry point for harmful microbes to infect your health. The infection spreads to neck, head and might end in life-threatening diseases.
What causes cracked or chipped teeth?
Apart from accidents, injuries and biting down hard particles, various aspects that might break the teeth. The important things to mention are:
- Age – Teeth enamel weakens when a person becomes 50 or older. Such teeth with weak enamel are highly susceptible to get chip or cracks over the surfaces.
- Cracked Tooth Syndrome
- Acid reflux diseases
- Habits like teeth grinding and clenching of teeth
- Alcohol consumption
- Taking excessive sugar and acidic foods
What will happen if you don’t treat a cracked tooth?
Whether it is a small chip or deep cracks in a tooth, it should be repaired in a dental clinic even it does not cause pain. Dentists recommend this to avoid the following problems associated with an untreated chipped tooth.
1) Infection inside the tooth
A tooth with deep cracks exposes the pulp chamber, soft tissues inside the tooth. When the nerves, blood vessels and other connective tissues become visible, they can be easily infected with bacteria in the mouth. It will cause cavities and damage the nerves.
The accumulation of bacteria or infection inside the teeth will lead to serious problems like dental abscess, bad breath and eventually kill the damaged tooth.
2) Temperature Sensitivity
As discussed earlier, a deeply chipped tooth is uncovered to show the nerves and soft tissues inside the tooth. The softer particles get agitated or annoyed with the drinks, snacks, food items and other particles you intake.
This aggravation makes the cracked tooth sensitive to hot and cold particles. In such cases, drinking water also causes immense pain.
3) Biting pain
Similar to carrying load with a broken hand, biting things with a deeply cracked tooth also causes extreme pain.
As a portion of the tooth along with its enamel is broken, the outer surface is not functional. In such cases, the root region and the sensitive inner layers have to bear the pressure applied on the tooth.
This triggers unbearable pain white biting a substance and even while chewing food particles.
4) Damage the tooth root
When the crack is quite deep to expose the root, the root is also at risk of infection. It also occurs if a small chip is left untreated.
The chip can grow bigger because of the pressure exerted over the damaged tooth. In such cases, the root portion of the tooth is also exposed and it has become prone to infection. Infection in the root of a tooth is harmful as it causes dental abscess and Root Canal Therapy (RCT) is essential to treat this.
Otherwise, the tooth will die and has to be extracted.
5) Injures the soft oral tissues
The edges left by the fractured part of a tooth are sharp enough to cut and jagger tongue, lips, cheeks, gums and other tissues inside your mouth.
Bottom line
Repairing and restoring a chipped tooth is possible with treatment options like filing, dental filling, fixing veneers or bonding.
The chips on a tooth range from graze lines to deep cracks which should be treated on time. Apart from restoring the aesthetic value, treating a chipped tooth will eventually prevent the mentioned dental problems and avoid expensive procedures to save the tooth.
