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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 Sturminster Dental Care 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 Sturminster Dental Care 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 Sturminster Dental Care 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 Sturminster Dental Care.

  • 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 Sturminster Dental Care 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 Sturminster Dental Care in Sturminster Newton 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 01258 473397.

Dentist

Ian Mercer

Ian joined {{ practice_name() }} in January 2016. lan-qualified from Guys Hospital Dental School in 1991 and has spent much of his professional career in the Royal Army Dental Corps including operational commitments in many countries. lan left the army in 2012 after serving for 21 years. Ian is really enjoying being part of the team and providing the best care to all of our patients.

Ian Mercer
Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

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

727 Reviews

5.0

8th October 2025

Helen the hygienist was very kind and caring. Explained things very well. The dentist (forgot his name) was understanding of my situation

8th October 2025

Professionalism of all staff, friendliness and care

7th October 2025

Caring, diligent and professional staff working as a team across the whole practice. A pleasant environment. Patients are treated with courtesy and respect.

7th October 2025

Very attentive staff I was made to feel very comfortable and at ease as a nervous patient

6th October 2025

Efficient and friendly service

3rd October 2025

Highly professional and efficient. Excellent location and pleasant environment.

29th September 2025

Friendly knowledgeable team of professionals that make you welcome whatever time I’d day your appointment takes place.

27th September 2025

Staff that I see are very experienced, competent and friendly. Waiting room very comfortable and up to date magazines available to read whilst I waited for my wife, who also had an appointment following mine.

26th September 2025

It is the overall excellence of all aspects of the practice.

26th September 2025

good quality dental care in a well considered surrounding

25th September 2025

Emmanuel was looking at making my denture to make it more comfy...the appointment wasn't about the lost crown. He spotted that and came up with another option themat Gowtham had not offered. This was frustrating and upsetting as it was quite by chance that I saw Emmanuel!

EC

Emma-lee Chaney

Don’t even hesitate to join them — the level of professionalism and skill at Sturminster is exceptional, and it’s incredibly rare to find that these days. Your expectations of dental care will completely change. They truly care about you and your health, not about how much money they can make. Here’s my story if you’d like to read it (it’s a long one): A few years ago, Ian removed my wisdom tooth quickly and painlessly. Afterwards, I had a few hygienist appointments and honestly, they worked miracles. My teeth had never looked or felt that clean before — and the best part was that it didn’t cost me a fortune. When I later moved to Bournemouth, I started a long and frustrating journey trying to find a practice that matched the same standard of care. I ended up registering with four different practices, each time spending money and leaving disappointed. Most recently, I had trouble with my other wisdom tooth. After paying high fees at several Bournemouth practices, I was left feeling hopeless. One hygienist even stopped cleaning after just 20 minutes — unless I agreed to pay double to have my top teeth done too! The practice quoted me a staggering £1,500, claiming that only a specialist could remove my tooth. Eventually, after months the pain returned. I gave up and returned to Sturminster to see Ian — the same dentist who treated me years ago. Ian didn’t even charge me for the initial appointment, since it was just a quick check to confirm he could remove the tooth. And of course, he could. I wasn’t surprised at his skill, only at the fact that other dentists couldn’t (or wouldn’t) help, and that they tried to charge me £500, while Ian quoted me just £122. On top of that, Sturminster Dental Practice even posted antibiotics to me in Bournemouth to help with the pain while I waited for my treatment, since they’re understandably very busy. No other practice has ever treated me with such genuine care, without judgement, and with a real willingness to help. Since I last saw them in 2022, I’ve been to at least six different dentists and hygienists — and none have come close and some didn’t even help me a little. They just wanted money. When Ian greets you, you feel as ease. Excited to be there, and look forward to your problems going away. A massive thank you to this practice!

23rd September 2025

Professional friendly good clean environment. Felt totally at ease throughout my experience.

22nd September 2025

The service. The team. The cleanliness of the whole building. I cannot fault my experience with Sturminster Dental Care. I have been using this dentist for a few years after a period of not attending the dentist. They have made the experience smooth and pain free.

19th September 2025

Great communication. All staff so lovely make you feel part of a big family.

19th September 2025

Until Ian became my dentist I never liked going to the dentist, he is the only one I can honestly say I have complete confidence in.

18th September 2025

Extremely professional team and immaculate cleanliness of the facilities

18th September 2025

Perfection across the board. All the staff are exceptional.

18th September 2025

Expertise and friendlyness

17th September 2025

Had prepped my paperwork ready, thorough in making sure I knew the next steps

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