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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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery 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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery 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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery 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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery.

  • 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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery 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 Hadleigh Dental Surgery in Hadleigh 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 01473 823092.

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to Hadleigh Dental Surgery. 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

908 Reviews

5.0

14th September 2025

As always on-time, well informed, extremely clean surroundings and of course very friendly staff.Thank you

KT

Kim Thirlby

I recently visited Hadleigh Dental for the first time and had a wide range of treatment carried out (root canal, cap, filling and extraction). I was treated by Philip Wilson and Gurps Singh and was really impressed with the quality of service provided by them and their assistants. They clearly had excellent technical knowledge and both went to considerable trouble to explain the treatment needed before commencing work and to summarise how it had gone afterwards. I've no hesitation whatever in recommending them!

12th September 2025

I had a range of treatments carried out by two dentists at the same practice, having moved to the practice very recently. They were both exceptionally good at diagnosing what my issues were, explaining exactly what needed to done and carrying out the treatment effectively. As the work was carried out they explained what they were doing and summarised it afterwards. I was particularly impressed that photos were taken at each stage of my root canal treatment and that they were used to help me understand the process afterwards. The dentists' technical competence was evident and their manner reassuring. Highly recommended!

12th September 2025

Good practitioners and environment and can always find a suitable appointment.

12th September 2025

Louisa is the best hygienist I’ve ever had

12th September 2025

Care always given by the dentist, staff and Hygienist. Always explained what is happening and if there are any concerns. Feeling comfortable while having treatment.

12th September 2025

Easy to get to, well presented premises; reception efficient; on time; good care from dentist and hygienist; clear plan for next treatment; easy to make follow up appointments

11th September 2025

I have been with the surgery for 40 years and never have to wait more than a few minutes for my appointment. Everyone there are very nice , efficient and professional.

10th September 2025

I have always been treated with respect and care.

10th September 2025

Mr Wilson has been my dentist for many years and he has seen me through some difficult times. I could not have wished for anyone better.

10th September 2025

Very professional. Easy

10th September 2025

Mr Wilson was very sensitive to my nervousness and low pain threshold! He explained everything and then gave clear instructions in how to use tools to improve dental hygiene.

5th September 2025

Professional and friendly. Lovely environment.

4th September 2025

Was easy to deal with.

3rd September 2025

Always friendly staff and clinician. Kept to time and updated on general dental health as part of the visit.

3rd September 2025

Promptness of appointment keeping, explanation of options, future possible needs, and I've known the clinician for 30 years!

2nd September 2025

All the staff are friendly, polite, helpful and knowledgeable, very easy to deal with and always great service.

30th August 2025

The staff are all fantastic you always get a call the day before to confirm your appointment l would not go anywhere else for my dental treatment.

29th August 2025

The skill and professionalism of Philip Wilson and the high level of service provided by the reception staff.

VS

Vav Scott

I was refered through my own dentist for a filling causing me pain, I needed root canal treatment that the NHS wouldn't touch (the NHS only offered to pull the tooth) Dr Singh saw me for both appointments I had, one for assessment and another for the root canal itself. Him and everyone at the practice from reception to the other Dentists? Dental assistants? were kind, understanding, and on the ball. They took time to explain everything I asked about as well as keeping me up to date outside of my appointments and on what they were doing during my root canal. The place was clean, and tidy too. I am very happy with the treatment I recieved, and could not recommend him and the others here more. Professional all the way through :)

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