Thank you for posting your question here and allowing a dental professional to give you expert advice on how to treat a broken front tooth. Fortunately, you are not alone, there are hundreds, even thousands of patients like yourself who have fractured a front tooth and have successfully restored their smiles! The treatment recommendation will vary on each patient based on the condition of the healthy tooth structure remaining. It is first recommended to visit a dentist and have them take an x-ray of the tooth to see if the nerve is involved at this point and how deep/large the decay is. Once your dentist determines the health of the nerve as well as the health of the remaining tooth structure, a recommendation can then be made. Here are a few restoration scenarios of treatment after removing the decay ~ 1.) if nerve is not involved - possibility of bonding with a resin material can be placed (keep in mind it's on the front tooth and also the size of the restoration needed). You will always need to be cautious with certain foods & drinks as you can break the bonding or capture stain around the bonding margin. This step is usually done in 1 visit, however; you may be asked to come back for a follow-up for final adjustments. Also another point to keep in mind is that you will have to re-visit this procedure in the future, it is not a permanent fix but cost much less than alternate options.2.) if nerve is not involved - placing a buildup with a porcelain crown. This is the #1 recommended treatment option as it will fully cover the remaining tooth structure allowing full strength to your bite. Stay clear of porcelain fused to metal crowns in the front teeth; they do not allow for a natural esthetic smile. This step is usually completed with 2-3 visits, the dentist will prep the tooth and allow a dental lab to fabricate a crown that will then fit over the prepared tooth. In the meantime, you will wear a provisional (temporary) crown that is cemented in place. Keep in mind this is also a great time to whiten your smile, before the permanent crown is made and cemented, you have the ability to brighten your teeth with either a professional whitening kit or in-office whitening. Once the shade of your permanent crown is recorded and fabricated, the only way to change the shade of the crown is to have it remade. The cost of a porcelain crown is more than bonding but the likeliness that you will have to have it remade before the bonding is very low. With proper oral health at home and your annual visits to the dentist - you should expect a porcelain crown to last 10-15 years (when you seek an expert cosmetic dentist who also focuses on occlusion as well as esthetics). 3.) if nerve damage is involved - recommendations may include Root canal therapy followed by a fiber post & core build-up, then restored to full strength with a porcelain crown. Again these step's are more costly than bonding but once the nerve is damaged, you have to proceed with also treating the nerve as well as the remaining tooth structure. You could expect 2-4 visits to complete this sort of treatment.4.) if nerve damage is involved & additional fractures are present - recommendations may include extraction, synthetic bone, membrane and implant placement. In the intermediate time as the implant is healing, your dentist could make a removable acrylic flipper for you to wear to cover the missing tooth space. Once the implant is fully integrated with the bone, the restoring process begins. This would include the lab fabricating a porcelain crown that would cement to an abutment that screws into the implant. This procedure is the most expensive out of the above mentioned, however; the results for treatment like this are highly successful and allow you to return to full function and allows a beautiful esthetic end result. In the end, it comes down to what is best for you situation. Are you looking for longevity or a short term - quick fix. Both can easily be achieved, just remember it's an investment in YOU & you are well worth it! You'll pay now or you'll pay later! Good Luck!
