I broke a tooth: what do I do now?
Keep the piece of the tooth in milk, saline, or your own saliva and seek care as soon as possible: time makes a difference. Well Clinic Odontologia sees urgent cases in Jardim Paulista, São Paulo. Message the team on WhatsApp, in English, and they will guide the next steps.
First steps while you arrange care.
General, safe steps. They ease things, but they do not treat the cause.
Keep the fragment
Keep the piece of the tooth in milk, saline, or your own saliva and bring it with you. In some cases the fragment can be reused.
If the whole tooth came out
In an avulsion, do not scrub the root and seek care immediately: time matters. Keep the tooth in milk, saline, or your own saliva.
Rinse and use a cold compress
Rinse your mouth with water, carefully. If there is swelling, a cold compress on the outside of your face may help.
Protect the area
Avoid biting or chewing on the affected side until the evaluation, so the fracture does not get worse.
No pain? Have it evaluated anyway.
The absence of pain does not mean everything is fine. A crack or fracture can reach the inner layers of the tooth without hurting at first, and only an evaluation shows the real extent of the damage.
Filling
For smaller fractures, a filling rebuilds the lost part of the tooth, restoring shape and function.
Veneers
When the fracture affects how the tooth looks, porcelain veneers can rebuild shape, colour, and proportion.
Crown
When more structure has been lost, a crown covers and protects the whole tooth.
Root canal, if needed
If the fracture reaches the nerve, root canal treatment may be part of the path. The evaluation defines it.
Seek care the same day if:
- The whole tooth came out
- There is intense pain or bleeding that does not stop
- There is swelling in your face
- The fracture happened after a blow or trauma
Evaluating early usually means simpler treatment: what is a small repair today can become something larger if the fracture progresses without follow-up. Monday to Friday, 8am to 7:30pm, and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. Outside those hours and on Sundays, message the team on WhatsApp and they will organize your care.
A tooth that broke on its own has a history.
When a tooth fractures without trauma, the evaluation asks why. Wear, the way the teeth meet, and grinding are among the factors that can leave a tooth more fragile, and they are part of the reading here.
What patients ask us.
What do I do with the broken piece of tooth?
Keep it in milk, saline, or your own saliva and bring it with you. In some cases the fragment can be reused.
My tooth broke but it does not hurt. Can I wait?
The absence of pain does not mean everything is fine. A fracture can reach the inner layers without hurting at first, and evaluating early usually means simpler treatment.
The whole tooth came out. What now?
Do not scrub the root, keep the tooth in milk, saline, or your own saliva, and seek care immediately. Time matters in an avulsion.
Do you treat urgent cases in English?
Yes. Urgent care and consultations can be conducted in English, at the clinic in Jardim Paulista, São Paulo.
The first consultation reads the whole case.
Two hours evaluating teeth, bite, habits, and overall health, in English if you prefer, before any plan is proposed.