Expert: Jeff Dalin DDS - 6/19/2006

Question
I was sitting watching television when I noticed one of my front
tooth felt different. I soon realized the corner tip of it had
chipped off!

I have no idea how it happened... To me it felt fine through the
whole day, but even if it had chipped earlier I did nothing
throughout the whole day that might've aggravated it.

Could this be tooth decay? I mean it's at the very tip/corner of
the tooth. It's very slight in size and does not hurt at all.

I am wondering how could this happen?

Answer
David,
This is not a rare occurrence. With just plain wear and tear, the edges of these teeth can thin out and chip. You see it more in people who clench or grind their teeth. Usually it is not a decay issue at the edge. Occasionally there is decay in between the teeth and it undermines the edge on top of it and it chips. If the chip is tiny, sometimes all you need to do is smooth things off and even things off. If it is too large for this, you need to add some plastic to the edge and build it up even with the other tooth. This is a simple process. Call your dentist and have the area evaluated and treated. Good luck,

Jeff Dalin, DDS