See someone urgently if
- Pink or red tissue visible in the middle of the broken surface, meaning the pulp is exposed
- The tooth is loose, has moved position, or the bite feels different
- Bleeding from the socket or gum around the tooth
- The break followed a blow to the face, particularly with jaw pain or difficulty closing
- Severe pain, or pain that keeps you awake
Otherwise, book in the normal way. Call +91 83036 12717.
What causes it
Biting something hard
The usual account, though the more useful question is why that particular bite broke that particular tooth. A tooth that fractures on a chapati is a tooth that was already weakened.
A large old filling
The most common underlying reason. A tooth with a large amalgam or composite filling has thin remaining walls, and those walls fracture eventually. This is the classic case where a crown was the correct treatment and a filling was chosen instead.
A root-treated tooth that was never crowned
A back tooth that has had a root canal is brittle and needs full cusp coverage. Left in a filling, it fractures, often below the gum, and often cannot then be saved. This is the single most preventable cause of losing a tooth after successful root canal treatment.
Grinding
Chronic bruxism produces chipped edges on the front teeth and cracks in the back teeth. It progresses gradually, so people rarely connect it to the eventual break.
Trauma
A fall, a sporting collision or an accident. Front teeth take most of this, and the injury frequently affects more than the visible chip: the tooth may also have been moved or its blood supply damaged.
Cracked tooth syndrome
A crack that has been present for months, causing pain on biting and particularly on releasing the bite. It is often invisible on X-ray, and it progresses until the tooth splits. Pain on release is the sign worth reporting.
What helps before you are seen
Keep the fragment, in milk
A clean fracture of a front tooth can sometimes be bonded back on, which gives a better result than any composite. Milk is the right storage medium, not water and not tissue.
Cover a sharp edge
Orthodontic wax, or sugar-free chewing gum pressed over the edge, protects the tongue and cheek from being lacerated. Sharp fractured enamel cuts surprisingly badly.
Chew on the other side
A cracked or broken tooth continues to split under load. Keeping it out of function until it is repaired can be the difference between saving and losing it.
Painkillers and avoid temperature extremes
Exposed dentine is highly sensitive to cold and to air. Standard painkillers, and avoiding very hot or cold food and drink, gets you through until the appointment.
Do not use household glue
It applies to reattaching fragments and to recementing a crown. Household adhesives are toxic and make proper repair harder. Pharmacy temporary dental cement is acceptable for a day or two.
How it is treated
Bonding, for small chips
Composite is added, shaped and polished in a single appointment, at roughly ₹500 to ₹3,000 per tooth. For a small front-tooth chip this is quick, conservative and reversible.
Reattaching the fragment
Where you have kept the piece and it fits cleanly, it can be bonded back on. The colour and translucency match perfectly, because it is the original tooth.
Crown, where a cusp has broken
Once a substantial portion of a back tooth is lost, a filling leaves the remaining walls liable to fracture again. Crowns cost ₹3,000 to ₹25,000 in Lucknow depending on material.
Root canal, where the pulp is exposed
If pink or red tissue is visible in the fracture, the pulp is exposed and will become infected. Root canal treatment costs ₹3,000 to ₹12,000, plus the crown afterwards.
Extraction, where the fracture runs below the gum
A tooth split vertically below the bone level cannot be restored predictably. Extraction costs ₹500 to ₹5,000, and this is the point to discuss socket preservation if an implant is likely later.
Broken or chipped tooth: common questions
Is a chipped tooth an emergency?
Usually not. A small chip with no pain can wait a few days. It becomes urgent if pink or red tissue is visible in the break, meaning the pulp is exposed, if the tooth is loose or has moved, or if there is severe pain. Cover a sharp edge with wax in the meantime.
Can a broken tooth be saved?
Usually, if the fracture stays above the gum. Chips are bonded, lost cusps are crowned, and exposed pulps are treated with a root canal and then crowned. A tooth split vertically below the bone level generally cannot be restored predictably and is extracted.
How much does fixing a broken tooth cost in Lucknow?
Composite bonding for a chip runs ₹500 to ₹3,000. A crown costs ₹3,000 to ₹25,000 depending on material. If a root canal is needed first, add ₹3,000 to ₹12,000. Extraction, where the tooth cannot be saved, costs ₹500 to ₹5,000.
Why did my tooth break on soft food?
Because it was already weakened, usually by a large old filling that left thin walls, or by a root canal never followed by a crown. The food is the trigger, not the cause. It is worth asking whether other teeth are in the same condition and heading the same way.
My tooth hurts when I bite but looks fine. What is that?
Often cracked tooth syndrome. A crack too fine to see on an X-ray flexes under load, and the characteristic sign is a sharp pain as you release the bite rather than as you press down. It progresses until the tooth splits, so it is worth investigating early rather than waiting for a visible break.
Medically reviewed
Reviewed by Dr. Dhanya Saxena, BDS, MHA, FMC, FAOI, oro-dental surgeon and aesthetic physician at Redefine Dental and Facial Aesthetic, Indira Nagar, Lucknow. Dental Council registration 20935. Last reviewed 30 August 2026.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Prices are prevailing Lucknow market ranges, not a quotation. If you have facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or difficulty breathing, seek emergency medical care rather than a routine appointment.