Chipped front tooth

[Roberta]

Hiya

I chipped my front tooth last week and the emergency dentist put a temporary filling on it and said that I will need a porcelain veneer on the tooth to make it look normal again.

After the accident, my front tooth lost its tip, roughly about a quarter of the tooth chipped off and it looked strange and I was worried that the tooth might die but the emergency dentist said that it will probably not die.

I am 19 years old and the idea of shaving my tooth for a porcelain veneer seems a bit drastic. I mean isn't more shaving of the tooth mean that there will be even less of the tooth left. I would like to know what my options are for this chipped tooth.

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

From what you have mentioned in your question it seems the options you have are either porcelain veneer or a composite veneer. The latter is more conservative and usually involves less drilling of the tooth. The best suggestion I can make is for you to come and see us for an assessment so we can tell you more about it and the options available to you.