Most dental emergencies are preventable: keep up with regular checkups and cleanings, wear a mouthguard for sports, avoid chewing ice or hard candy, don't use your teeth as tools, and get small problems like cracks or cavities treated before they become big ones.

Treatment for a broken tooth depends on how severe the break is: minor chips can often be smoothed or bonded in a single visit, moderate breaks may need a crown, and breaks that reach the nerve usually require a root canal and crown, or extraction if the tooth can't be saved.

A root canal removes infected or damaged tissue from inside a tooth to save it, while an extraction removes the tooth entirely. We'll always try to save the natural tooth with a root canal first, extraction becomes the option when the damage or infection is too severe.