What to do if a tooth is broken in half

Due to an accident, the tooth is broken in half. This kind of tooth damage must be treated in time. For example, when a tooth is broken in half, the broken half should be taken to the hospital for examination in time. If it can be treated and recovered, it is of course the best. If there is no way to recover, it can be treated by repairing it. Let us understand what to do if a tooth is broken in half.

What to do if a tooth is broken in half

When the degree of tooth decay is not very serious, the dentist will try to preserve the original tooth, clean the decayed tooth, and then add fillings to the decayed tooth. If tooth decay spreads to the gums and even causes periodontal disease, endodontic treatment will be performed first before filling the tooth. Try not to affect the normal use and appearance of the teeth, and the retained original teeth will continue to function as the abutment teeth for the fillings. Therefore, if you want to keep the original tooth, you should treat and repair it as soon as possible to prevent tooth decay from worsening and avoid greater adverse effects caused by tooth decay.

So, when a tooth is half rotten, under what circumstances will a dentist recommend extracting the decayed tooth?

(1) Patients with decayed teeth whose crowns of the posterior teeth are mostly decayed and whose residual root tips are more than 5 cm below the gums;

(2) Patients with periapical lesions covering more than half of the area;

(3) The third molar has no opposing jaw or pericoronitis occurs;

(4) Patients whose tooth misalignment affects chewing function;

(5) Those with “lesioned” teeth.

Therefore, if a tooth is half rotten, whether it should be extracted or filled depends on whether our tooth has shallow caries, moderate caries or deep caries. Different situations require different treatments. You should go to a dental hospital to communicate with your doctor and seek help. Don't wait until the pain becomes unbearable before seeking treatment, as doctors will be unable to do anything by then. The earlier you get treatment, the less pain and cost you will suffer.

So what other methods can we use in our lives to prevent tooth decay from getting worse? Experts from Jingzhou Chuxing Dental Hospital told us that first of all, we should rinse our mouths after meals and make sure to brush our teeth twice. Secondly, try to choose fluoride toothpaste containing fluoride ions to brush your teeth, so that a protective film can be formed on the surface of the teeth to resist the erosion of dental plaque; finally, be careful when brushing your teeth, especially the junction between the teeth and the gums, which is easy to breed bacteria.

In addition, if conditions permit, we should have an oral examination once a year to avoid tooth decay. When a tooth is half rotten, we should change our indifferent attitude, take it seriously, and not let the cavity continue to expand.