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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

709 Reviews

5.0

17th June 2025

Rekah, hygienist, was very professional, explained everything about the procedure. She was very gentle & took time to offer advice when using electric toothbrush. The treatment was excellent & I looked forward to seeing her on my next appointment.

16th June 2025

I was afraid of the dentist from bad childhood experiences until I attended st annes.. I now look forward to seeing my dentist as she always puts me at ease, is respectful and caring. I feel that I am in good hands.

16th June 2025

Excellent treatment.

15th June 2025

Waited only a few minutes to be seen. Dentist chatty and welcoming - remebers things about me. Doesn't do unnecessary treatment. Talks through options. Recptionist efficient and friendly

13th June 2025

The staff are very welcoming and efficient. I get the treatment scheduled and a clear explanation of everything that goes on

13th June 2025

The dentist took time to explain the treatment. I did not get the feeling there was any rush.

12th June 2025

Very professional, efficient and friendly. Highly skilled dentist.

12th June 2025

Friendly with sense of humour.

10th June 2025

Friendly, relaxed and caring

10th June 2025

Care of clinicians. Highly skilled and nice people with it. The process is also very smooth

6th June 2025

the staff are always very helpful and Adam very considerate and explains everything about the procedure and will answer your questions and explain any alternatives if there are any and what you should consider before you make your choice.His bedside manner is just what you what if you have any reservations about dentists.The practice is very lucky to have him.

5th June 2025

Friendly and highly efficient

5th June 2025

Honourable, helpful, competent, professional and kind staff throughout the practice from practice manager, dentist, hygienist, dental nurse to receptionist. The very best practice in Sussex. It is a pleasure to continue to recommend them to family & friends.

4th June 2025

Professional, thorough and friendly care.

3rd June 2025

The dentist looking after me had moved to St. Annes from another practice where she had originally treated me. I was glad to find her again as my previous experience had been excellent.

28th May 2025

Professional, friendly and satisfactory clean. Good advice and encouragement from Anna.

22nd May 2025

The clinician is kind, very personable, punctual and efficient.

20th May 2025

All went well. Excellent staff. No waiting.

14th May 2025

Happy atmosphere friendly staff .

8th May 2025

Adam understood my feelings, and he supported me in the appointment, as did the dental nurse - thank you!I was less satisfied with ha=ving to wait 9 days after my tooth broke for an appointment ...

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