Chipped teeth can leave you feeling self-conscious about your smile, and that's not all. If you've wondered about getting your chipped teeth repaired in the past, but don't know what to expect, this guide can help. Here's some information about why you should have your teeth repaired and how it will be done.

1. Why It's Important to Repair Them

Chipped teeth do more than impact your appearance. They can also impact your oral health. When a chunk of a tooth breaks off and leaves it chipped, it's like a cross-section of the tooth. The exterior shell of the tooth has likely broken off, which will leave the interior surfaces vulnerable to bacteria and plaque. Without getting a chipped tooth repaired, you'll not only have a cosmetic blight to your smile, but you could also experience significant problems with that tooth, like a bad cavity. It could even lead to the need for a root canal.

The good news is, it's not tremendously difficult to have a chipped tooth repaired. All you need to do is go to a dentist that specializes in restorative work.

2. How Chipped Teeth Are Repaired

Going through a chipped tooth repair is actually an easy process. Here's what you can expect. Your dentist will start out by examining your teeth. They may take an X-ray so they can determine how deeply the chip has impacted the interior tissues of the tooth and to see if there's already decay developing.

If the tooth has some decay on top of being chipped, some drilling may be necessary. However, if the tooth is healthy beyond being chipped, your dentist can go straight to fixing it. Chipped teeth are repaired with the same material that's used to create fillings. Your dentist will carefully apply filling material to the edge of the chip out of the tooth. Then they'll harden it, sealing off the interior layers of the tooth and protecting them.

From there, the dentist will continue to add layer after layer of filling to the tooth until it resembles a healthy, non-chipped tooth. Once this is done, they'll reshape it to ensure that it matches your neighboring teeth in size and shape. With that, you're done. Most people don't need anesthesia if they're just having a chip repaired, and it's a non-invasive process that shouldn't be unpleasant.

You can learn more about the process by contacting services such as Pacific Ave Dental/Allan L. Hablutzel, DDS.