Fix Chipped Teeth
A chipped tooth does not often cause pain but can lead to bigger problems down the road. Even if you have a minor chip, it is important to have it repaired to ensure the integrity of the tooth. A small chip can quickly turn into a bigger chip or even a fracture which would be much more costly to repair.
How is a chipped tooth repaired?
There are a few ways a chipped tooth can be fixed! The most common and cost-effective option is composite bonding. Bonding is also the least invasive and retains the most tooth structure. Most of the time, a chip can be repaired with dental bonding in one visit in under an hour. Depending on the extent of damage, composite bonding costs between $100 and $700 per tooth.
To repair a tooth using dental bonding, your dentist will clean and dry the tooth being treated then use an acidic etching solution to create a rough surface for the composite bonding to adhere to. The bonding material is applied and shaped to match your other teeth. The material is then cured with an ultraviolet light, smoothed and polished. Your dentist will then make sure that your bite is unaffected and will make adjustments where necessary.
If a chip is too big for simple bonding, it may require a crown or veneer.
Dental crowns are most often made from porcelain or ceramic material and fit over the entire surface of the tooth to the gum line. A crown can also be made from gold or other metals or even porcelain fused to metal which is the best of both worlds! Metal cannot be tinted to match your teeth but a porcelain finish can be applied so you get the strength of a metal with the aesthetics advantages of porcelain. Depending on the materials used, dental crowns can cost between $750 and $2500 per tooth.
Porcelain veneers are fabricated and placed the same way a crown is but a veneer only covers the front surface of the tooth instead of the entire exposed structure. Veneers are a more expensive restoration, costing between $850 and $3000 per tooth.
To place a crown or a veneer, your dentist will prepare the tooth by removing a very small amount of enamel, just enough to allow space for the restoration. Some dentists have the technology to fabricate your veneer or crown in the office while you wait so your treatment can be completed in one visit. If they use a dental lab, you will need to return in two weeks to have your restoration placed.
Additional Costs
Sometimes a tooth chips or breaks in a manner that is too deep to be repaired without a root canal. If you require a root canal, your dentist will send you to an endodontist for treatment. A root canal can cost between $500 and $1500 per tooth.