Open Tuesday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Broken tooth repair can't wait, because a chipped, cracked, or broken tooth doesn't always hurt right away, but it always needs attention. Even small breaks expose the inside of the tooth to bacteria and can spread quickly into bigger problems. Whether the damage came from a fall at Clearwater Park, a hard bite at lunch, or an old filling that finally gave out, Dr. Matthew Collins restores the tooth's strength and appearance with the right fix for the situation.
Find any piece of the tooth and place it in a small container with milk or saliva. In some cases the fragment can be reattached. Don't try to clean it. Don't let it dry out. Just bring it in.
A blow hard enough to break a tooth can do more than break a tooth. If any of these came with it, go to the emergency room or urgent care first and call us for the tooth afterward. We're open Tuesday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, so outside those hours they're also your fastest option.
Not all broken teeth are the same. Severity ranges from a tiny chip to a full fracture. Find the type that matches your situation to know how urgently you need to come in.
A small piece of enamel chipped from the edge of a tooth. Usually no pain. The surface may feel rough to the tongue. Most often happens to front teeth from biting hard food or minor falls.
Schedule within a few days. Easy fix with composite bonding in a single visit.
A visible line in the tooth or a hidden crack causing pain when chewing. May come with hot or cold sensitivity, similar to what our toothache treatment patients describe. Cracks can spread quickly and reach the nerve if untreated, so don't wait.
Schedule within 1-2 days. A crown usually saves the tooth before the crack worsens.
A larger piece of tooth or an existing dental filling has broken away. Often happens to back teeth from chewing. The remaining tooth feels sharp, sensitive, or unstable. Treatment depends on how much tooth structure remains.
A same-day visit is recommended. Often resolved with a larger filling or crown.
A large portion of the tooth is missing, or the tooth has broken vertically into the gum line. Severe pain, bleeding, or visible nerve. This is a true emergency that needs immediate attention.
Call us the moment we're open. If it's outside our hours and the bleeding won't stop, go to urgent care or the ER.
The right repair depends on how much of the tooth is damaged and where the break is located. Dr. Collins recommends the least invasive option that fully restores the tooth.
Tooth-colored composite is shaped directly onto the tooth and hardened with a curing light. Affordable, fast, and ideal for small chips or minor edge damage on front teeth.
Small chips, minor edge breaks, and cosmetic-only repairs. Learn more about dental bonding.
A custom cap covers the entire visible tooth, restoring full strength and shape. The most reliable repair for cracked teeth or larger breaks where bonding isn't enough.
Cracked teeth, broken cusps, large fractures. Learn more about dental crowns.
When a tooth is broken below the gum line or beyond saving, removal becomes the safest path. We follow up with a clear replacement plan to restore your bite and smile.
Vertical fractures and unsalvageable damage. View our tooth replacement options.
Most broken teeth fall into one of two paths as part of our emergency dentist care: a same-visit fix or a two-visit repair. Here's what each one looks like.
Dr. Collins assesses the break and confirms how deep it goes.
The area is numbed if anything more than surface bonding is needed.
Composite is shaped, hardened, and polished to match your tooth.
You leave the same day with full chewing function restored.
Dr. Collins reshapes the tooth, takes impressions, and places a temporary cap.
A custom crown is made over 2-3 weeks while you wear the temporary.
The temporary is removed and the final crown is bonded permanently in place.
You leave with a tooth that's stronger than the broken original.
A quick decision tree to help you act fast. Walk through these three questions before you call us.
Apply gentle pressure with clean gauze. If we're open, call and come straight in. If we're not, or the bleeding won't stop, go to urgent care or the ER.
Continue to question two below to determine urgency.
Likely a crack or fracture into the nerve. Call for a same-day appointment.
The break may be cosmetic. Schedule a visit within the next few days.
Save the fragment in milk or saliva. Bring it with you to the appointment.
Avoid chewing on that side. Rinse gently with warm water until your visit.
Two Rivers Dental Group repairs broken teeth for patients from Springfield and the surrounding Lane County communities. Our office at 1717 Centennial Blvd, Suite #3 is open Tuesday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call 541-287-7874 the moment a tooth breaks.
A tiny cosmetic chip can usually wait a few days. A crack, broken cusp, or anything painful shouldn't, because breaks expose the inside of the tooth to bacteria and cracks tend to spread. The general rule for broken tooth repair: the sooner you're seen, the smaller and cheaper the fix.
We're open Tuesday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If a tooth breaks outside those hours, leave us a message and we'll call you back as soon as we reopen. Meanwhile, avoid chewing on that side, take ibuprofen as directed, and cover a sharp edge with dental wax or sugar-free gum. If the break came with a blow to the head or face, uncontrolled bleeding, or a knocked-out tooth, don't wait for us. Go to the emergency room or an urgent care now.
Sometimes, if the break is clean and the fragment is kept moist in milk or saliva. More often the tooth is rebuilt with composite bonding or covered with a crown, which is stronger long-term. Either way, save the piece and bring it with you. It helps Dr. Collins see exactly how the tooth broke.
No. Small chips and edge damage are usually fixed with bonding in a single visit. Crowns come in when the break affects the tooth's structure, like a crack or a broken cusp. Dr. Collins always recommends the least invasive repair that fully restores the tooth.
Bacteria work into the exposed inner tooth, decay develops where you can't clean, and cracks spread deeper with every bite. What starts as a one-visit bonding repair at our Springfield office can turn into a root canal, or eventually an extraction. Even if it doesn't hurt yet, get it looked at.
Call our Springfield office during the hours below. Most broken teeth are repaired the same day so you can get back to normal fast.
541-287-7874