What to Do With a Broken Tooth

If a tooth has broken off, important steps must be taken to avoid greater damage. Here you can find out what is important!

A bite on something hard, a sports accident or even a collision – there are many reasons why we suddenly find ourselves confronted with a broken tooth. In such cases, quick action must be taken to keep the damage as small as possible. Here you can find out how to react best!

Broken tooth: Keep calm!

The most important credo for a broken tooth is: stay calm and act with consideration. Often the broken tooth can be reattached and if not, other treatment methods are possible.

What is to be considered?

• Broken teeth or parts of teeth must be removed from the mouth and kept moist as quickly as possible. Caution: Do not touch injured areas in the oral cavity!
• The most important thing is that the tooth does not dry out: For this purpose there are tooth rescue boxes, which are available in pharmacies or from the dentist. If no box can be obtained, you can help yourself with isotonic saline solution or cold UHT milk (ultra-high temperature) and a freezer bag. The tooth should be stored appropriately within half an hour at the latest.
• In case of bleeding, bite on a gauze bandage or a clean handkerchief.
• To reduce swelling, cool the outside of the wound with a cold washcloth or cold compress.
• Then call the dentist or dental emergency service immediately and give all relevant information (and whether there is pain).

What can’t you do?

No way…

• Store the tooth in drinking water, handkerchief, in the hand or even in the oral cavity
• Touch the root surface: Otherwise cells could be damaged.
• Clean the crown of the tooth.
• Insert the erupted tooth yourself: The root fibres could be seriously damaged.

What treatment can be considered for a broken tooth?

The treatment at the dentist depends on various criteria. This can be among others: How large is the broken tooth piece? Can the tooth piece be glued on? Is the nerve damaged and is caries present? Basically: A quick appointment with the dentist is essential in any case!

• Small pieces of broken teeth can usually be reattached and thus repaired. For this purpose, plastic adhesive is used in combination with a blue light lamp.
• If the tooth can no longer be glued, a filling is made. If a larger piece is missing, a crown is possible.
• If a tooth nerve is damaged (recognizable by bleeding), no time should be lost, otherwise bacteria can seriously inflame the nerve. In this case a root canal treatment and possibly a removal of the tooth nerve can follow. The tooth is then rebuilt.
• In the case of very extensive damage, it is sometimes not possible to preserve the tooth. Then a bridge or an implant is inserted.
• If it is a milk tooth, in most cases it will not be reattached.