What can be done about this chip on my front tooth? (photos)

Question

Pre-braces I chipped my front tooth with a root beer bottle. Although it doesn't cause any discomfort (my dentist and orthodontist filed it down), it's quite unsightly to me. Could it be filed down any more? Or shaped, along with the neighboring tooth? I was also thinking about composite filling, but I feel like it wouldn't bond very well to the tooth due to the small size of the chip. What is the best recommendation?

Doug Jopling, DDS · Answer

I would recommend bonding first. That would be the most conservative treatment. You can't really adjust both of these teeth, otherwise, you would be taking away a lot of good tooth structure from the tooth which isn't chipped in order to try to make them look like they match one another.Douglas Jopling,  DDS Dallas,  Texas area

Brian Jacobsen, DMD · Answer

Hi there!  Yes, this would annoy me too if it were my tooth!  If you were my patient, my first recommendation would be to try the composite.  Although bonding a corner can be tricky, I think that your tooth would appear too small and flat if it were filed down.  Overall, you don't really show much wear on your front teeth, which means it's more likely you can get good life out of a filling in this location . . . as long as you avoid bottles or other trauma in the future.  Good luck!

What can be done about this chip on my front tooth? (photos)

Answers (2)