For adults the worst thing that can happen is chipping or breaking a tooth for adults the tooth can never grow back so what methods of restoration are available?

1. Can a broken tooth grow back?

This will depend on the type of tooth broken:

 – Milk Tooth: A chipped or broken milk tooth will not grow back, therefore if the milk tooth is damaged then you can only protect is until it’s time for the permanent teeth to come in.

 – Permanent Tooth: If a permanent tooth is broken it will never grow back and can only be restored.

2. What should you do if you have a broken tooth?  

Once you discover your tooth is broken you should got a dental clinic as soon as possible for an oral examination to check how badly damaged the tooth is. Depending on the degree of damage different restoration methods are available:

– Composite Restoration: This is suitable for cases where only half the tooth is broken and the damaged surface is small. Composite can be used to fill or bond the damaged area to restore its appearance.

– Root Canal Treatment: If a tooth is broken or damaged and has already reached the pulp tissue and dental nerve this will cause pulpitis and periapical periodontitis. In these types of cases root canal treatment will need to be carried out before restoration can be done.

– Porcelain Veneers: Veneers are used when more than half of the tooth is broken. A thin layer of enamel will be removed before the veneers are placed onto the tooth to cover the damaged tooth.

– Tooth Extraction: This is the last option and is only used when the tooth cannot be saved because the tooth root is damaged. After extracting the tooth patients can consider dentures or dental implants to replace the tooth.