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Looking for a caring and professional dental practice? We’re excited to welcome new patients to our clinic! Whether you’re due for a check-up, need treatment, or are looking to enhance your smile, our friendly team is here to help.
Contact us today to book your first appointment—we look forward to meeting you!

Broken teeth

Our teeth are very strong but despite this, the stresses and strains of our everyday life can still cause them to chip, crack or break.

Common cause of these breaks can include:

  • Chewing on hard foods
  • Facial trauma following an accident
  • Damage from a sports injury
  • Untreated cavities causing the tooth to become brittle and break
  • Old, large amalgam fillings, where the remaining structure of the natural tooth can become brittle

Broken teeth can cause varying degrees of pain, from extremely painful, to discomfort triggered by hot or cold foods or drink, even to no signs of immediate pain. However, in order to prevent further damage or infection which could result in the loss of the tooth, it’s important to book an appointment with your St Anne's Dental Practice dentist as soon as possible.

Treatment of a broken or chipped tooth will depend on how severely it is damaged. For small breaks or chips it may be possible to repair in a single visit with a simple filling or bonding. For more severe breaks, multiple visits may be required to repair the break with multiple treatments.

Treatment for fractures and broken teeth

Teeth with minor chips on the edges usually don’t cause any pain or problems, but your St Anne's Dental Practice dentist will most likely repair a chip by smoothing the edge and inserting a tooth-coloured filling to prevent it from cutting your lips or tongue.

Heavily fractured and seriously broken teeth may need more complex treatment. For instance, a large cavity that causes a major fracture or break, causing pain and infection, may need root canal treatment. Cracks and breaks may expose your nerve endings, making the teeth sensitive to hot and cold air and foods.

Root canal treatment isn’t always necessary if your teeth are chipped or broken, though. Where there’s no pain or infection, cracks are filled and bound together with a specialised tooth cement, while a broken tooth will be fixed with a crown. Crowns are also used as part of the treatment for other types of splits and breaks, such as broken cusps, split roots/vertical breaks, split molars, and as a buttress against further cracks. If your tooth has decayed from the inside-out and is now broken, your St Anne's Dental Practice dentist may recommend that your tooth is removed.

Sometimes, if you have a cracked or broken tooth, it may not be noticeable because it doesn’t hurt. But no matter how minor these problems are, they should still be investigated by your dentist, as infections can arise if the problem isn’t treated with antibiotics. The best course of action is, as always, a good oral hygiene regime and regular reviews with the dentist.

What to do if you break your tooth

If you’ve fractured or broken a tooth, follow these steps immediately before booking an appointment with St Anne's Dental Practice.

  • Rinse your mouth out with warm water
  • Apply pressure on any bleeding areas using gauze or a wet teabag
  • Apply an icepack to your cheek if there’s any swelling
  • If you have access to it, cover any major cracks with temporary dental cement
  • If it’s painful, use an over the counter pain reliever such as paracetamol
  • Cover any broken teeth with milk, saliva or saline solution

As with any teeth problems, if you have fractured or chipped a tooth it's important to book an appointment at St Anne's Dental Practice to see a dentist as soon as possible, rather than waiting for routine dental health review. We will discuss the best method of repairing the break with you.

At St Anne's Dental Practice in Lewes we use resin composite fillings to match the colour of your teeth and ensure a long-lasting and natural-looking result. We also offer porcelain crowns, inlays and onlays as successful options for repairing cracked, broken, decayed or heavily filled teeth. They are hardwearing and can be colour-matched perfectly to your own teeth.

If you would like to discuss concerns with any broken or chipped teeth give us a call on 01273 473189.

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to St Anne's Dental Practice. In fact, we have built much of our practice on these valued, trusted recommendations over the years. Read our reviews to hear why our patients are recommending us…

Patient reviews

663 Reviews

5.0

12th March 2025

As I said in a google review my experience was one of professionalism that inspired trust and also good grace and a sense of humour. All reassuring traits.

11th March 2025

Friendly and kind staff, who take pride in their work and clearly care about the quality of treatment their patients receive. I felt reassured and in good hands throughout .

7th March 2025

very helpful and handled the broken tooth situation in a very professional manner. It was also nice to see photos before and after and the quickness of the treatment.The modern equipment now used and speed make all the difference to someone like me who is nervous of dentist and that I have medical condition that requires me to take an antibiotic before hand.

6th March 2025

Friendly approachable and understanding of me as a patient

28th February 2025

Professional, polite and experienced clinician.

27th February 2025

very efficient, polite and attentive.

22nd February 2025

Our dentist, Adam, is highly professional, and listens with absolute attention. He will explain procedures thoroughly and allow time for any questions. Every dental procedure, including orthodontic treatment, has shown high levels of expertise and skill with thought given to the patient's comfort. Throughout our time at St Anne's, we have been delighted with the service and could not recommend our dentist highly enough.

21st February 2025

Excellent care as always

4th February 2025

The treatment was done swiftly and carefully. Thanks to all at St Anne’s Dental Practice.

2nd February 2025

Expert dentists who take the time to explain their recommendations and how the treatment would proceed.

30th January 2025

My dentist, Sue Brink, is patient and sympathetic. She always explains clearly what is being done and what might need to be done in the future. I used to dread going to see a dentist and I no longer have any fear.

26th January 2025

My dental hygienist was extremely warm and friendly which made me feel very comfortable in my appointment. She was extremely gentle and careful with my clean, it was the best one I’d ever had. There was no pain or discomfort. She regularly checked I was ok which gave me confidence to let her know if something didn’t feel ok.

26th January 2025

This appt was for the hygienist . I saw Siobhan who was very kind and explained what she was doing. This was the first time I have seen her and I will be happy to see her again.

23rd January 2025

Adam has a great disposition and is always sensitive to myself ( nervous patience) and my children. HE LISTENS ANSWERS QUESTIONS AND PUT US ALL AT EASE.

23rd January 2025

The services are professionally delivered, the staff are easy to talk with and pleasant, and the cost is reasonable.

21st January 2025

All of the above.

17th January 2025

I have always found Adam very kind, does his best to listen to my teeth needs and has always treated me quickly in emergencies

15th January 2025

I have been attending this practice for nearly thirty years and it has always been consistently professional and friendly but I particularly like the level of communication and attention to detail given by the whole team.

11th January 2025

A friendly and efficient practice with high clinical standards

10th January 2025

Adam Cuthbertson and assistant. Brilliant.

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