What if Your Tooth Is Severely Damaged?

There are ways to save teeth that experience a wide range of concerns, including severe damage to its structure. In some cases, tooth damage can be a more immediate concern than other common concerns, such as chronic tooth decay, because it can pose an immediate and serious threat the tooth and your oral health if not addressed immediately. In severe cases, this threat could lead to the loss of the tooth or the need for its extraction. However, in many cases, in a severely damaged tooth can be saved with a dental crown or other custom dental restoration.

Different types of damage to your tooth

The term, tooth damage, can encompass a variety of different, specific types of concerns with your tooth structure. For instance, one or more of your teeth might be worn down due to an imbalance in your bite or a chronic teeth-grinding habit. Or, you may experience a minor or significant fracture in your tooth, or have a small or large piece broken off of it. The type of damage that your tooth suffers plays a significant role in the level of threat it can pose to your oral health. Yet, if you wait to address it, then there’s a good chance that the damage will become more severe by the time you do.

When your tooth needs complete restoration

Some types of tooth damage are obviously severe, such as a large piece breaking off of the tooth, while others are more serious than they seem on the surface, such as a fracture that extends further than you can see. In many cases, one of the most effective ways to save a tooth from significant damage is to completely restore the tooth with a custom-designed dental crown. Designed to replicate the tooth’s whole, healthy, and natural crown structure, a dental crown can cap and protect the damaged tooth to prevent it from further harm.

In extreme cases of tooth damage

While many cases of tooth damage can be successfully addressed with a custom dental crown or other, more conservative restoration, there are certain types of damage that can make tooth restoration impossible. For example, if a tooth is impacted (such as a wisdom tooth) becomes impacted, then the damage it causes may only be prevented or addressed by extracting the impacted tooth structure. If a tooth’s root is fractured or broken beneath the gum line, then restoring the tooth’s crown may not successfully fix the problem, and tooth extraction may also be necessary.

Learn if a you can save a severely damaged tooth

Severe tooth damage may lead to the need to extract a tooth, but in many cases, the tooth might be saved with the right custom-designed dental restoration. To learn more, call our Cleveland Family Dentistry office in Cleveland, TX, today at (281) 592-1234. We also serve the residents of Kingwood, Conroe, Livingston, and all surrounding communities.