If your tooth has been chipped, you're probably thinking about the cosmetic aspect of the problem, especially if it's a front tooth that's been damaged. While that should be a concern, it shouldn't be your most pressing concern surrounding your chipped tooth. There are far more serious consequences involved in having a chipped tooth. To protect your mouth, you should have the damage repaired quickly. Here are three of the risks associated with a chipped tooth.

Tooth is Exposed to Bacteria

As soon as your tooth is chipped, it begins suffering exposure to bacteria. Unfortunately, bacteria is harmful to your teeth on a couple of levels. Increased risk of cavities and infections are just two of the ways exposure to bacteria can harm your teeth.

Cavities

Your tooth contains dentin, which is protected deep inside the tooth. Once your tooth is chipped, the dentin is exposed, which begins the development of cavities. The longer the dentin remains exposed, the worse the cavities get.

Infection

In addition to cavities, exposed dentin also increases the risk of serious dental infections. Depending on where the chip is located, and how severe it is, you could develop an infection that spreads to your jaw. You can avoid cavities and infections by having the chip repaired as soon as you can.

Protective Enamel Cover is Damaged

The surface of your tooth covered with enamel, which forms a protective seal around your entire tooth. Once the enamel is damaged, it can no longer protect your tooth. If your tooth is chipped, you may begin to experience a sensitivity to hot or cold. If that happens, you'll notice extreme pain whenever you eat or drink anything that is either too hot, or too cold. You can alleviate the sensitivity altogether by seeing your dentist as soon as your tooth is damaged.

Damage Can Get Worse

You might think that a small chip is not going to be a problem, especially if it's not visible. Unfortunately, that's not actually the case. Even a small chip can get considerably worse if it's exposed to further damage, such as biting down on a hard piece of candy. In some cases, you might not even see the crack getting worse until a section of your tooth falls away. You can avoid problems like this by having even the smallest cracks repaired immediately.

Don't take chances with your teeth. If you've cracked your tooth, you should contact a cosmetic dentist near you like Laconi Dental.

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