My Child Chipped a Tooth — Now What?

Children and chipped teeth go together. Between playground falls, sports collisions, accidentally biting something hard, or just the general chaos of being a kid, dental injuries are one of the most common reasons parents rush their children to the dentist outside of regular appointments. The good news is that in most cases, a chipped tooth can be treated quickly and effectively. The key is knowing what to do and how urgently.

First: Stay Calm and Assess the Situation

Children take emotional cues from their parents. If you panic, they panic — which makes the whole situation harder to manage. Take a breath, reassure your child, and do a calm visual assessment.

Check for bleeding in the mouth and gently rinse with clean water. Look at the chipped tooth: is it a baby tooth or an adult (permanent) tooth? If you are not sure, consider the child's age — children typically start losing baby teeth around age six. A chip in a permanent tooth requires more urgency than one in a baby tooth that is due to fall out anyway.

Assess the size of the chip: is it a tiny corner, or is a large piece missing? Is the tooth sensitive to air or cold water? Is there any pain? These details will help you and your dentist determine the priority level.

What to Do in the First 30 Minutes

If you can find the broken piece of tooth, rinse it gently with clean water and keep it moist — in a glass of milk, or in the child's saliva by asking them to hold it inside their cheek (if they are old enough to do this safely without swallowing it). In some cases, the dentist may be able to bond the original fragment back onto the tooth.

If there is facial swelling or significant bleeding, apply a clean cloth with gentle pressure. A cold pack on the outside of the cheek can help with swelling and discomfort.

Then call your dentist. Even if it is after hours, most dental clinics have an emergency contact number. Describe the situation clearly: which tooth, how large the chip, whether there is pain, and whether there is any bleeding. Your dentist will advise you on whether you need to come in immediately or whether it is safe to wait for a regular appointment.

When Is It a Dental Emergency?

Go to a dentist urgently — the same day if at all possible — if the chip is large and a significant portion of the tooth is missing, if there is significant bleeding that does not stop after a few minutes of gentle pressure, if the child is in severe pain or the tooth is extremely sensitive, if the tooth is loose or has shifted position, or if there is any injury to the face, jaw, or other teeth alongside the chip.

A small chip with no pain and no sensitivity can usually wait until the next available regular appointment, but it should still be seen within a few days. Even minor chips can have sharp edges that irritate the tongue or cheek, and a dentist needs to confirm there is no deeper damage that is not visible to the naked eye.

Treatment Options for a Chipped Tooth

Dental bonding: For small to medium chips with no nerve involvement, composite resin — the same tooth-coloured material used for fillings — can be shaped and bonded directly to the tooth in a single visit. It looks natural, is painless, and is the most common treatment for chipped teeth in both children and adults.

Dental crown: For a large chip where much of the tooth structure is missing, a crown may be recommended to protect the remaining tooth. For baby teeth, a stainless steel crown is often the most practical option — it is durable, requires less chair time, and will naturally come out when the baby tooth falls out.

Root canal treatment: If the chip is deep enough to expose or damage the pulp — the inner nerve tissue — a root canal will be needed before any restoration. Signs of pulp exposure include the tooth looking pink or red at the fracture site, or significant ongoing pain.

Extraction (for baby teeth): If the baby tooth is badly damaged and the child is close to the natural age of losing it, extraction may be the most sensible option. Your dentist will assess whether a space maintainer is needed to hold the gap until the adult tooth comes through.

Preventing Future Chips

If your child plays contact sports, a custom-fitted mouthguard is the single most effective way to protect their teeth. Over-the-counter boil-and-bite guards offer some protection, but a custom guard made by a dentist fits better, offers greater protection, and is more comfortable — which means your child is actually more likely to wear it. Ask your dentist about mouthguard options at your next visit.