Broken Tooth, Lanark: A Chip, Crack or Break?

Frequently, yes. We can usually repair a small chip with tooth-coloured bonding during the same appointment, while a larger break may need a filling or a build-up. If the tooth needs a crown, we fit a temporary one to protect it while the permanent crown is being made. An emergency appointment costs £85, and you'll have the cost of the long-term repair in writing before anything is done.

Usually, yes, and the earlier the better. When enamel chips away, the softer dentine beneath it wears and decays faster, and a crack can spread a little further with every bite. Repairing a chip with bonding or a small filling is faster and far less costly than needing a crown or root canal treatment later. A quick examination, with an X-ray if necessary, will show whether it's safe to leave for now.

The chip has exposed dentine, the layer beneath the enamel, which carries cold straight to the nerve. Sealing it with bonding or a filling normally ends the sensitivity. If the ache from cold lasts longer than a few seconds, starts without a trigger, throbs or wakes you at night, the nerve may be inflamed and you could need root canal treatment. It's better to have it looked at than to wait and see.

Sometimes. If there's enough sound root above the bone, we can rebuild the tooth with a post, a core build-up and a crown. An X-ray will tell us. Some teeth that break this low can't be repaired, especially when the crack extends down the root. If yours can't be kept, we remove it gently and talk you through the options for replacing it: an implant, a bridge or a denture.

It depends on how much healthy tooth remains. A small cavity can be filled, but a tooth that is mostly filling already, or badly broken, usually needs a crown. In between sits an onlay (£750), which caps the biting surface but keeps more natural tooth than a crown would. Root-filled back teeth turn brittle, so they normally need a crown or onlay. You'll see the tooth on screen, on the scan and X-ray, as your dentist explains, and you can read the crowns, onlays and fillings guide for more.

Move fast. Hold the tooth by the crown (the white part) and never touch the root; if it's dirty, rinse it in milk for a second or two. If you can, push it gently back into its socket and bite on a clean cloth or handkerchief to keep it there; if not, put it in a cup of milk. Phone us on 01555 662441 immediately, even on your way to us, because the root's cells die the longer the tooth is out, and it stands the strongest chance if it's replanted within the hour. When we're closed, call NHS 24 on 111, or go to A&E if there are other facial injuries. Never put a baby tooth back, as it can harm the adult tooth developing beneath it; simply bring your child in for us to look at.