Following an accident, the tooth is broken into one or more pieces.

• A very severe shock in the head area;
• A shock with a hard substance on a particular tooth (blow with a glass bottle, food too hard);
• Teeth grinding (bruxism);
• Clenching of teeth;
• A tooth decay;
• Poor occlusion of the teeth (poor distribution of forces between the teeth);
• Inadequate repair of a tooth (defective filling or wrong choice of material);
• In general, a tooth that has undergone a major restoration has an increased risk of fracture.

• If possible, recover the piece(s);
• Gently rinse the tooth piece with warm water without scratching or rubbing;
• Keep the piece in your mouth, in milk, in phisiological serum or in a freezer bag;
• It is not recommended to store the tooth in water or paper;
• You should go to your dentist very quickly, especially if a pink or reddish part of the tooth is visible. This part is the vital part of the tooth and must be protected quickly to prevent the tooth from dying.

• Temporary dressing pending permanent restoration
  In emergency, the treatment of choice for broken anterior teeth is to apply a dressing to the vital part of the tooth and stick the piece of the natural tooth back together if possible. Otherwise, the dentist rebuilds the tooth with glued composite resin (white filling).
• Polishing the cutting edge
  For a posterior tooth, the dentist can polish the cutting edge or apply a soothing dressing to the damaged tooth for about 6 to 12 months pending permanent repair.
• For a small part of the tooth
  The dentist can choose to polish the cutting part for the patient’s comfort without repairing it. It can also rebuild the tooth in glued composite resin (white filling) or dental amalgam (grey filling). 

• Restore the tooth with a composite filling (white filling) or dental amalgam (grey filling);
• Restore the tooth with a CEREC or E4D crown;
• If a large surface of the pulp is affected or the tooth is very painful, a root canal treatment will be necessary;
• In cases of tooth fracture deep below the gum or even to bone level, bone and gum can be removed around the tooth (clinical crown lengthening) so that it can be repaired;
• If the tooth breaks below the gum or bone level, it is possible to adjust the gum level with a laser directly at the clinic (laser gingivectomy). This procedure allows the dentist to clear the tooth and repair it optimally;
• If the tooth is broken too far below the gum and bone, it is sometimes necessary to extract the tooth. When crown elongation is considered, it is necessary to assess whether this procedure has a good prognosis. Indeed, the consequence of this procedure is to remove bone that could be useful if you want to use an implant later… Thus, in case the prognosis is not good, it would be better to extract the tooth and place an implant while the necessary bone is present in large quantities;
• For better gum health, the edge of the restoration should be at least 3 mm from the bone level. Less clearance causes inflammation of the gums. The crown elongation recreates this optimal clearance between the edge of the restoration and the bone level. This procedure can be done with conventional instruments (scalpel blade and turbine) or with a laser specific to the body’s hard tissues. Once the elongation is completed, the tooth will appear longer. A crown can then be made to strengthen the tooth.

• It is strongly recommended to wear a professional mouthguard when playing contact sports such as hockey, boxing, or football;
• In cases of bruxism or clenching of the teeth, the wearing of an occlusal plate can help to distribute the forces on the teeth;
• For a force misdirected on a tooth, the solution consists in adjusting one or more teeth (by balancing the occlusion);
• In the event of a defective filling, it is important to choose the best material to repair the teeth in the first place, as recommended by the dentist. A material that is too soft on a tooth that is too damaged can make it more fragile;
• It is also recommended to consult your dentist twice a year to detect any signs of weakening of a dental filling or tooth (cavities, cracks, fractures, etc.)