How to Avoid Chipping a Tooth

Steps You Can Take to Keep Your Pearly Whites in Tact

Certain foods we eat are tougher than others, and some can even damage our teeth if we are not careful. Surprisingly, picnic and barbeque season is the time when most chipped tooth incidents occur. Not eating our favorite summer food or limiting our summer barbeques is never fun, but there are some steps you can take to help protect your teeth and be able to enjoy those summer favorites without having to worry about chipping or damaging teeth.

Tooth-Chipping Foods

It is important to remember that the harder or tougher the food is to bite into and chew, the more likely it is to cause a chipped tooth. Meats by themselves often do not cause any problems, but when foods like chicken and ribs are cooked with the bones in and served on the bone, individuals run the risk of biting down on one of those bones and chipping a tooth. Corn on the cob is also a food that can chip teeth by biting down even though the corn itself is soft. Chewing on ice is something we often do in the summer as well, and even though it may seem harmless, it can do a lot of damage to your smile.

How to Protect Your Smile

While the safest thing to do may be to avoid all of these “dangerous” summer foods, there are ways to enjoy them without running the risk of chipping teeth. Instead of not eating these foods, change your approach to how you eat them. For corn, instead of eating it right off the cob, take some time to cut the kernels off – doing this makes it easier and safer to enjoy grilled summer corn. For meats, consider cooking them without the bones, such as with chicken breasts or de-boned ribs. If you would prefer to leave them in while cooking to enhance the flavor, take them off the bone before eating.

What If I Chip a Tooth?

If you do unfortunately chip a tooth, there are some steps that should be taken. If the chip or crack is small and does not cause any pain, it may be okay to wait until your next dental check-up to get it looked at and repaired. If the chip is severe and does cause pain, make an appointment with a dental professional as soon as possible – while you wait to be treated, try to stick to softer foods and avoid using the chipped or broken tooth to chew or bite so no further damage or irritation occurs.

If you have any questions regarding chipped teeth prevention, you can always consult your dentist and sign up for our New Hampshire Individual Discount Dental Plan to save as much as 20 percent on all your dental bills. For more information, please click here.

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