Chipped or Cracked a Tooth? Here's What to Do Right Away

By Dr. Boris Zusin · Published August 1, 2026

A chipped or cracked tooth almost always happens at the worst possible moment — mid-meal, mid-workout, or out of nowhere. What you do in the first few minutes matters, so here's a clear checklist.

Right Away

Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to clear any debris. If you can find the broken piece, save it in a small container of milk or water and bring it with you — it's occasionally usable in repair. If there's swelling, a cold compress against the cheek near the area helps with both pain and swelling. Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth until you're seen.

How Urgent Is It?

A small chip with no pain can usually wait for a next-day appointment. Significant pain, a visible crack extending toward the gumline, a sharp edge cutting your tongue or cheek, or any sensitivity to hot and cold are all reasons to call us the same day — the deeper a crack goes, the more time-sensitive it becomes.

What Treatment Usually Looks Like

Small chips are often fixed the same day with composite bonding. Larger fractures, or ones that compromise more of the tooth's structure, typically need a crown to fully protect and restore it. If a crack has reached the tooth's nerve, that's when a root canal referral may come into the picture before restoration.

What About a Crack Under an Existing Crown?

A crown protects a tooth, but it doesn't make the tooth underneath indestructible — the natural tooth structure beneath a crown can still crack, usually at the root or right at the margin where the crown meets the gumline. The tricky part is that you can't see it happening, so it usually shows up as symptoms rather than a visible chip: pain when you bite down or release a bite (a classic sign, since the crack flexes open and shut), sharp pain when the tooth is exposed to hot, cold, or sweets, intermittent pain that's hard to pin to one exact spot, or the crown itself starting to feel loose or shift slightly. A dull, lingering ache after chewing on that side is also worth paying attention to.

If you notice any of these signs in a crowned tooth, don't wait for it to become an emergency — a crack under a crown can worsen and reach the nerve if left untreated. We'll need to remove or X-ray through the crown to actually see what's happening underneath, so this isn't something to try to diagnose yourself at home.

If you're dealing with this right now, don't wait — call our office for same-day emergency care.