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Diagnoses

Chipped teeth

About this diagnosis

Diagnoses are associated with common findings which are used to prescribe appropriate treatment.

Alternate terms: Broken teeth.

Chips in teeth vary in severity, depending on their cause. In children, front teeth are prone to chips, because they frequently project forward when they first come into the mouth, and while the jaws are developing. Also, many children like to roughhouse with their friends and family members and their teeth sometimes get in the way. Adolescents and adults who play sports and don't use athletic mouthguards or full-face helmets are also more likely to chip the front teeth.

Back teeth can chip, but usually the cause is related to biting or chewing hard foods, like ice or popcorn kernels. This is especially true if the chipped tooth has large restorations (i.e. fillings, inlays) present. Chips are generally more favorable than cracks, which can extend deep within the tooth and allow bacteria to get in. Also, since dental bonding became available, chips are usually relatively easy to fix—at least long enough to consider other options.

A chipped front (anterior) tooth may have been avoided with an athletic mouthguard

Figure 1a: A common chip in the permanent maxillary central incisor of a 13 year-old boy, caused by a swimming pool accident. This missing corner included both enamel and dentin layers, but did not expose the tooth's nerve and blood vessel tissues ("pulp").

Bonded composite resin filling of permanent front tooth (sports injury)

Figure 1b: Although the boy's mother was quite concerned about the chip, fixing it with bonded composite resin filling material took only an hour, and the filling material provided excellent longevity and appearance.

Chipped molar tooth restored with large tooth colored (white) composite resin filling

Figure 2a: The molar tooth chips (see arrow) were able to be restored with a large bonded filling—at least for awhile. Bonding can sometimes delay the need for a crown or onlay while the patient prepares for their expense. This tooth is a rather extreme example, made possible by its lack of symptoms and the large amount of intact enamel around its circumference.

Dental X-ray of chipped molar tooth shows white composite resin filling years later

Figure 2b: An X-ray image shows the tooth in the photograph seven years after the filling was done. There is no sign of breakdown or decay, and the tooth had remained vital.

Although your unique situation (oral habits, access to care, vitality of the tooth, cost sensitivity, etc.) may mean that more involved treatment options like an onlay or crown would be more appropriate for you, be sure to discuss options and clinical urgency for treatment with your dentist before beginning care.