Symptoms & conditions
Chipped or cracked tooth
The short answer
A small chip is cosmetic only and can wait a few days. A crack that hurts on biting needs urgent attention — cracks spread and can turn a savable tooth into an extraction in weeks. A broken tooth exposing pink or red tissue is an emergency.
What's happening
The clinical picture
Teeth chip from hard food, ice-chewing, trauma, or because they were weakened by a large old filling. What matters clinically is whether the fracture crosses the enamel-dentine boundary (cosmetic — easy fix with bonding), whether it reaches the pulp (root canal needed), or whether it goes vertical into the root (usually means extraction). Cracked tooth syndrome — sharp pain only on biting — is often invisible on X-ray and needs a careful bite-stick test.
Warning signs
Contact us the same day if:
- Pink or red tissue visible in the broken area (exposed pulp)
- Severe pain that increases with cold
- Bleeding from the tooth itself
- Sharp pain only on biting (cracked tooth syndrome)
- Loose or wobbly tooth
What we do
Our approach
Exam, X-ray, and bite test. Small chip: composite bonding, same visit, 30 minutes. Crack into dentine: onlay or crown, two visits. Crack into pulp: root canal then crown. Vertical root crack (on CBCT): extraction + implant is the only honest path. We always show you the crack on the screen before we talk price.
Related services
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