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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

708 Reviews

5.0

17th September 2025

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

16th September 2025

Friendly staff nice waiting room with television,

15th September 2025

Professional and caring team.

12th September 2025

I have complete trust in my dentist and the other staff are always extremely helpful.

10th September 2025

I was very satisfied with the treatment and care I received at my appointment, as I always have been.

9th September 2025

Excellent prompt response to a broken tooth requiring a filling/crown although the initial timescale for completing the work was delayed. The timescale was subsequently improved following replacement of a a temporary filing.

9th September 2025

The dentist is extremely professional and puts patients at ease.

8th September 2025

This was an extra appointment which was made for me between my regular checkups because à tooth was sensitive and I wanted it checked.I saw Ian as always and he was very kind and supportive. He explained that the filling is shallow and may need more work in the future, but he applied a cover and we agreed to monitor it. Problem solved. Thanks Ian!

7th September 2025

The efficiency, competence, and pleasant manner of the dentist. I had felt slightly anxious after the retirement of my previous dentist in whom I had great faith and disappointment that I could not register with Ian. This appointment with Mike Wiktor was a great start to dispelling those negative feelings.

6th September 2025

The team are all very courteous, helpful with queries and timely in their service.

5th September 2025

Professional throughout and just fantastic!

5th September 2025

Absolutely everyone made me feel that I was important to them. It went a long way to make me feel less nervous for my appointment.

3rd September 2025

Everything is fine. One comment re timing: the minor problem with appointments running late (which I accept is sometimes unavoidable) is that it can make parking very difficult - because the small car park is still full from the previous appointments.

2nd September 2025

Very professional service. Everyone is helpful and friendly. The car magazines in the loung (aka waiting room) are the latest so no problem with if the previous patient overruns a bit.I have dental plan with Stur Dental Care which is good value, in my opinion.

2nd September 2025

Friendly, spotlessly clean. Good treatment.

29th August 2025

Professional and friendly and respectful manner of all staff.

29th August 2025

Clinician is lovely and the reception staff are so friendly, polite and professional

29th August 2025

Friendly helpful staff, everything explained clearly, feel confident with everything there

28th August 2025

The friendliness and courtesy of the personel. I am a nervous patient and my dentist always talks to me in a relaxed and reassuring manner.

28th August 2025

Everything completed by competent and knowledgeable staff. Up to date with IT and dental practices. Everyone is welcoming, smiles and able to speak intelligible English. Thank you.

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