You’re eating dinner. You bite down on something unexpectedly hard. There’s a strange sensation, a rough edge against your tongue, and suddenly you realize something has changed. You run your tongue over the spot again. Yep. There’s a chip in your tooth.
Immediately, the wishful thinking kicks in: maybe it’ll just smooth out on its own. Maybe it’s not a big deal. Maybe I can just ignore it and it’ll be fine. At Davidsonville Dental Group, we hear this hope from patients regularly. And we understand it. No one wants to deal with another dental appointment. But a chipped tooth simply won’t heal on its own.
Why Teeth Can’t Repair Themselves
Unlike skin or bone, tooth enamel has no living cells. It contains no blood supply. There are no repair mechanisms built into the outer layer of your teeth. Once enamel chips or fractures, that missing piece is gone forever.
Your body cannot grow new enamel. It can’t fill in the gap. It can’t smooth out the rough edge over time. The damage you feel today is exactly the same damage you’ll have next month, except it will likely be worse.
That’s because every time you chew, bite, or even grind your teeth at night, you put stress on that compromised area. A small chip can become a larger chip. A minor fracture can deepen and spread. What started as a cosmetic annoyance can turn into a painful dental emergency.
What Happens If You Ignore a Chipped Tooth
We understand the temptation to wait and see. But here’s what can happen in the meantime:
- The chip gets bigger. This is the most common outcome. Everyday chewing forces that weakened enamel to flex just slightly. Over time, that tiny chip can turn into a significant loss of tooth structure.
- Decay sets in. The rough edge of a chip is a magnet for plaque and bacteria. They settle into that uneven surface and start working their way into the deeper layers of your tooth. What was a simple fix suddenly becomes a cavity that needs a filling or worse.
- The nerve becomes involved. If the chip or fracture reaches the inner layer of your tooth where the nerve lives, you’ll experience sensitivity to hot, cold, or pressure. That can progress to constant pain, and eventually, a root canal becomes necessary to save the tooth.
- A piece breaks off completely. Sometimes ignored chips give way under pressure. A whole chunk of the tooth can fracture off, leaving you with a much bigger problem and fewer treatment options.
Treating a chipped tooth is almost always straightforward, especially if you don’t wait too long. The right approach depends on how extensive the damage is.
Dental Bonding
For small chips, we can often use tooth-colored bonding material. This is the simplest and least invasive option. We match the color to your natural tooth and sculpt the material directly onto the chip. The whole process usually takes one visit and no numbing is needed unless the tooth is sensitive.
Dental Crown
For larger chips or fractures, a dental crown might be recommended. The crown covers the entire visible portion of the tooth, protecting it from further damage while restoring its shape and strength. This is especially common if the tooth already had a large filling or if the fracture is deep.
Root Canal
If the chip has reached the nerve, we’ll first need to perform a root canal to remove the damaged nerve tissue. After that, a crown protects what remains of the tooth. This is why we encourage patients to come in sooner rather than later.
What to Do Right Now
If you’ve just chipped a tooth, don’t panic. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water. If there’s any sharp edge bothering your tongue or cheek, you can place a small piece of dental wax or sugar-free gum over it temporarily. Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.
Then call our Davidsonville office at (410) 343-7075. We’ll take a look, let you know what’s actually happening, and walk you through the simplest solution. A chipped tooth won’t heal on its own. But with a little timely care, it can be fixed before it becomes something much harder to deal with.
