Q&A with Dr Antosz and Dr Vincelli: Never Ignore a Chipped Tooth
Question
Why should I never ignore a chipped tooth?
Answer:
“A chipped tooth can happen to anyone: a child riding a bicycle, a teenager playing basketball, or a grown-up crunching a piece of hard candy. Where you want to start paying attention is when you have frequent chipping or jaw spasms.”
Nature of the Bite
Sometimes it’s because of the way the bite is; that is, the nature of the bite. People with a very deep overbite can’t help but crash into those teeth all the time. So what you see over the years is they keep chipping and chipping their teeth, wearing them down further and further.
Grinding Teeth
Sometimes it’s people who grind their teeth. They grind their teeth because there’s something wrong with their bite. This triggers clenching and grinding in some individuals.
Jaw problems
And that goes back to jaw problems. Jaw problems are more than joint pain, more than headaches. Jaw problems also incorporate worn down teeth, bone loss, and receding gums—all of those kinds of things.
These can all be consequences of that bite.