If you’ve chipped or cracked a tooth in the UK, you may be wondering about your repair options and what to expect from treatment and aftercare. As dental professionals treating chipped teeth every day at Thousand Smiles Clinic, we’ve created this guide to help you understand the causes, process, costs, and maintenance needs for restoring damaged teeth.
What Causes Chipped Teeth?
Teeth can chip or crack from acute trauma like sports injuries, falls, automobile accidents, and being struck in the mouth. However, minor cracks and chips also frequently occur from chronic factors like aggressive biting, grinding teeth, chewing hard items like ice or nails, and osteoporosis. General wear and tear as we age also plays a role.
Chipped Tooth Repair Options
Minor chips without pulp exposure may only require cosmetic bonding for smoothing out roughness or cracks. More significant chunks or breaks exposing inner layers necessitate dental crowns or veneers to rebuild structure, prevent further damage or decay, and restore form and function.
Chipped Tooth Repair Costs
Chipped Tooth Repair Costs vary based on size, location, and pulp involvement but average £200-£1500 per tooth for crowns and £500-£2000 for veneers at our London office. Composite repairs and bonding range £150-£300 per tooth. Dental insurance can offset some charges when used preventatively vs restoratively.
The Chipped Tooth Repair Process
After x-rays determine inner structural involvement, we numb the area and may file down the tooth first to prep for the repair material. For crowns and veneers, temporaries are placed while custom permanent restorations are created via impressions to match your natural teeth. Once cemented, your bite and comfort levels are checked.
Caring for Repaired Teeth
Avoid biting nails, ice, popcorn kernels, and other hard items that could re-crack the restored tooth, which may then require a root canal. Maintain excellent oral hygiene to prevent decay around dental work. Use nightguards if you grind and see us promptly if you experience temperature sensitivity or notice additional cracks appearing to avoid complications.
Rest assured a repaired smile can look fantastic and remain functional for years to come with proper ongoing care. If you’ve chipped a tooth, schedule an exam at Thousand Smiles Clinic so we can discuss the best treatment options for your situation.
Factors Influencing Cost
The position of the chipped front tooth and amount of visible surface area impacted affect the time and material needs for repair, thus the cost. Front teeth repairs are more complex because of aesthetics while back molar cracks may only require composite fillings. Whether surrounding teeth need matching veneers or crowns also increases the total price tag.
Payment Plans Available
Reconstructive treatments like dental crowns and veneers represent a significant out-of-pocket investment, especially if multiple teeth require attention. Know that our office offers flexible financing options including no-interest and low-interest payment plans to ease this financial burden over time for our patients.
When Insurance Coverts Some Fees
If you have preventative dental insurance and get minor chips addressed quickly before necessitating root canals or crowns, coverage may pay for a portion of fills or resin composite repairs to reinforce and waterproof the tooth. This keeps your actual out-of-pocket costs lower. However, cosmetic makeovers usually aren’t covered.
Be Proactive
Don’t ignore small cracks or fractured cusp tips hoping they will get better on their own. A minor chip can progress to significant pulpal and structural tooth damage over time, leading to more complex and expensive repairs. Get cracks assessed right away before the problem escalates.
There Are Alternatives
While bonding, crowns, and veneers are the standard treatment for fractured and chipped teeth, alternatives do exist. If cost is very prohibitive, some elect tooth extraction and implant-supported replacement. Partial dentures are another budget-friendly option for back cracked molars. Discuss all your choices with us.
Enhance Your Smile Too
If repairing a front tooth chip with a crown or veneer, consider upgrading surrounding teeth with matching aesthetic treatments to really amplify and enhance your smile makeover! Minor reshaping, whitening, and reshaping can take your smile to the next level.
Focus On Prevention
Wear custom nightguards if you grind your teeth and switch to soft brush heads to protect enamel. Consider orthodontics if misaligned bite patterns cause excessive cracking and chipping. Stay vigilant with dental exams to spot issues early before they worsen and cost more to treat. An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure when it comes to tooth fractures!
Compare Provider Pricing
Not all dental Clinics charge the same cost for chipped front tooth repair, so do some research when budgeting for chip repairs. As a high-volume cosmetic and restorative practice, our office keeps dental materials and lab costs extremely competitive. We at Thousand Smiles Dental Clinic offer very reasonable cost on chipped tooth treatments in London compared to many London practices. Know your options!
