Chipped Tooth Repair Cost in the UK

Enamel on a tooth is mighty hard. Made of calcium phosphate, it is harder than gold or silver.

But that does not mean it is indestructible. It is a nasty feeling. The tongue would keep returning to the serrated edges of the crack. Home remedies do no good at all. Now you take a trip to the dentist’s chair.

Why Do Teeth Chip?

There are three main reasons:

• The first is a small piece of stone in food. Nasty, but it happens at times.
• The other is a fall, perhaps from a bike or skateboard.
• The last does not happen unless you are careless. Regularly sucking on ice cubes can weaken the tooth as its temperature changes from freezing to 98°F, the normal temperature of the mouth. After a year or two, a part of the tooth might come apart.

How To Repair a Chipped Tooth?

Dentists can repair a chipped tooth in many ways. It usually depends on the extent of the damage and your budget.

The first step in dental treatment is to have an oral X-ray done to assess the damage. A chip might be a sign of a weaker tooth structure. If the dentist is sure there are no hidden caries, they will advise you of your options.

1. Crown

It is the traditional way to repair a damaged tooth. A crown is a custom-made cap that fits the damaged tooth.

Traditionally, crowns were made, but better materials are available now. The most commonly used material is Ni-Cr alloy. Other materials include porcelain with metal scaffolding. The latter is more natural. It is durable and cheap.

When getting a Ni-Cr alloy crown or CEREC crown, ask the dentist to certify it as MRI-safe. Neither nickel nor chromium poses any danger, but the alloy cannot contain any ferrous component.

The dentist will take an impression of your jaw using a soft, soap-like material. After a few days, a crown would be fitted on top. With care, a crown can last at least a decade.

2. Veneer

A crown is a perA crown solution for molars that are out of sight. If you have chipped an incisor at the front, the go-to option is a veneer. Front teeth are used to tear meat. Since we eat cooked food, they don't need to gnaw the way our ancestors did.

A tooth veneer is a small piece of synthetic material shaped like a shell. It is carefully glued onto the damaged tooth and hides the damage. Unfortunately, a dental veneer is not very strong.

Eventually, it will detach, and the process has to be repeated.

3. Bonding

The tooth-coloured material is applied during dental bonding and hardened with UV light. The material is a type of resin applied to the surface. The dentist shapes it with a scalpel and makes it as close to normal as possible.

The dentist applies UV light using a handheld device. The dentist may file the hardened resin to give it a normal texture. In the end, the dentist would ask you to bite on a piece of paper to find out if the bite of the upper and lower jaws match each other perfectly.

Note that corresponding teeth of the upper and lower jaws keep each other in place. If a tooth is missing, say the upper first premolar on the left side, after a few years the corresponding lower premolar would slowly erupt or move out of its socket.

That is why a damaged tooth must be repaired as quickly as possible.

4. Root Canal

Root canal treatment is often considered. However, modern RCT methods are far less painful than 2-3 decades ago. It also comprises fitting your tooth with a crown.

But in the first option above (crowning without root canal), the tooth inside remains alive. It has functioning blood vessels and a solid root.

With a root canal, the dentist essentially excavates the tooth material, leaving only a shell. The tooth is no longer alive. In the last step, the dentist fits a porcelain crown on top. It can take 2-4 visits in all.

Now about the pain. The procedure itself causes little pain; keeping your mouth wide open and moving tools inside while a bright light shines in your eyes is enough to scare most patients.

Be assured, it sounds worse than it is.

5. Filing

If the chipping is very minor, the dentist might simply hone it to make it smoother. Some have very pointy molars. Four clear, sharp cusps can chip it to the pulp.

These can break off, and the usual treatment is to file them down so the tongue does not cut itself.

Chipped Tooth Repair Cost UK

It would depend on the procedure. If bonding is performed, the cost is between £200 and £350. If you go for crowning, it would cost between £600 and £900, depending on the establishment and the type of crown. Zirconia veneers are more expensive.

Full-fledged root canal costs between £1100 and £1500. Prices vary depending on the overhead margin. At Natmarginsmiles, you are assured of economical treatment. We aim to provide affordable dental care to everyone, and our rates are among the most affordable.

Take Care Of Your Chipped Tooth Immediately

The worst thing you can do is ignore the problem. A chipped tooth won’t go away. The uneven edges won’t wear down naturally because the hardest substance we usually eat is buttered toast.

When neglected, it can give rise to problems. Cracks would develop that might cause you to lose an entire tooth. Your only option then is extraction and a tooth implant. It is a lengthy and expensive procedure. Contact our cosmetic dentists as soon as possible, and we shall have your tooth restored in no time at all.