Have you ever had a broken or chipped tooth?
A chipped tooth that seemingly happens on its own is usually dental decay and by the time the damage is noticed it may already be too late. No matter the cause, broken or chipped teeth should never be left untreated for long. Even if it isn’t sore or isn’t causing any immediate complications, the compromised integrity of a tooth can easily and quickly turn into a more serious problem.
Most common causes:
Consumption of soda, sweets, or having dry mouth; and indirectly by avoiding the dentist. It may hurt and be at the nerve. At times requires the nerve to be removed (costly Root canal therapy). Or worse, the entire tooth may have to be removed.
Reference
"I have a chipped tooth and don’t know how it happened. I was just chewing a sandwich and a piece of my tooth came off! It's been 6 years since my last dental visit and do not want to lose the front tooth! What should I do?"
Front and back view of central incisors for reference use only
In the reference chosen for this example, the patient noticed the damage on the two front teeth (central incisors) where the damage was easily spotted, yet on the other side she had two smaller cavities (as seen in the reference images above). In total we had actually discovered 11 cavities.
Let us take this time to remind our readers that dental decay and disease does not selectively attack one tooth, it attacks the entire mouth. It is a serious and common problem that many people will not notice until the damage is done and become an even bigger issue.
The best way to address this is frequent dental visits and by keeping disease in check; Discovering and treating dental and oral hygiene issues when the problems are small and conservative. In addition it will keep your costs much lower.
Most insurance budgets are not meant to handle 6 years worth of dental treatments in one calendar year, but over larger periods. Usually insurance can cover two or three fillings minimum per year and not exceed the maximum. In addition, Root canal therapy and extraction would be avoided completely thus reducing the stress of paying too much at the dentist.
Keep your dental insurance used and keep your personal expenses to a minimum by watching your annual dental insurance limit and have regular dental checkups & cleanings. Dental care can be kept completely affordable and low cost when dental visits are frequent and dental appointments are not missed. If a person has higher dental risks and decreased oral hygiene, they should frequent the dentist more until they “are back in shape”–it’s like going to the gym and catching up!
We do checkups and cleanings as frequent as 3 month intervals for those considered unhealthy or diseased dental status, and 6 month checkups for healthy teeth. Eventually everyone wants to only have to come in at 6 months but this takes work, commitment, a change in habit, and time to catch up.
We are open Saturday’s for your convenience, so you do not have to take time off work. We also bill your insurance directly to keep your costs low.
Related Services
- Dental Implants (full mouth or single tooth)
- Emergency Dental Services
- Bone Grafts (including sinus lifts)
- See more Dental Services
