Dental issues often happen when you least expect it. Even if you are constantly taking care of your teeth, you could run into a dental issue that happens and requires an immediate dental appointment. One thing that could happen that will lead to a dental appointment is a chipped tooth. If only a small amount of your tooth breaks off, you should report to your dentist for an immediate appointment to get the tooth repaired by bonding. Here are three steps to take when you need to get a chipped tooth bonded. 

Brush and clean your teeth

Right after a tooth chips, you will need to clean out your mouth. Immediately after noticing the chip, you should rinse out your mouth. Rinsing your mouth will let you know if your gums are bleeding or if a nerve is exposed. Be sure to gently brush your teeth and floss to make sure that no further parts of your teeth are broken. If your nerve is exposed, you may need to ask a dentist how to cover it from the air to protect your tooth and to stop the pain. 

Stay away from hard or sticky foods

If your tooth breaks at the end of the day and you must go to the dentist the next day, be sure that you do not eat any foods that are hard or sticky in the meantime. Sticky foods may stick to the crack in your tooth, which could lead to a mess or cause more damage by pulling the fragile remains of your tooth. Hard foods can cause further cracks, which may not allow you to have a bond any longer, but need a tooth crown. Stick to softer foods, such as bread, and make sure you floss after each meal or snack. 

Check the rest of your teeth

If you are having a tooth bonded to fix a crack, you should check the rest of your mouth for tooth cracks. If there are any other teeth that need bonding, it may be easier for you to get them all done at one time instead of getting each bonding at a different time. If you know that several teeth need to be bonded, ask your doctor to make an appointment to do all the bondings at once to be sure that the appropriate amount of time is blocked out. If you're uncertain about whether or not more than one needs to be bonded, mention that when you make the appointment.

Are you unsure if bonding is what needs to be done? Dentists have a variety of options that they can offer these days to help fix your smile. Talk to your dentist today about your options.