Here's How Your Dentist Will Repair Your Nail-Biting Damaged Teeth
When you bite your nails, you do a lot of damage to your teeth over time. The repeated clashing of your upper and lower teeth can cause parts of the teeth to break off, chip away, and just wear down, like rocks turning into sand. While it's best to stop biting your nails before all of this happens, there are ways to repair the damage after the fact. Talk to your dentist about getting your tooth repaired and this is what they'll likely do.
Assessing the Damage
The first thing your dentist will want to do is perform an in-depth examination to look for damage. This will likely include a physical examination as well as a set of x-rays. This will let your dentist thoroughly determine how much of your tooth is damaged or missing, which is integral to them being able to properly repair the damage.
The route your dentist takes to repair the damage will ultimately depend upon how badly off the tooth is.
Filling
If your tooth isn't too badly damaged, a filling will likely suffice to fix the damage. This is slightly different than a cavity filling; there's no need for drilling here. Your dentist just uses the same type of filling to help rebuild the structure of the tooth and to even out any roughness.
Your dentist will clean your teeth first and then will go to work. They'll carefully apply the liquid resin to the edge of the tooth that's been damaged and will shape it to match your neighboring teeth (if undamaged). If the neighboring teeth are also damaged, your dentist will rebuild all of your damaged teeth utilizing old dental x-rays so that the teeth are made the appropriate size and length.
Crown
When teeth are very badly damaged, only a crown will do. This is because once the structure of the tooth has been damaged enough, there are two major problems with it. The first is that the tooth is more likely to have exposed nerves, which can leave you in pain and can't be repaired with a filling. The second is that your tooth could potentially break if it's already damaged.
The dental crown process is a very simple one. Your dentist will once again clean your teeth and then will place a temporary crown over your damaged teeth. You can go home; your dentist will be busy ordering your new custom crowns. Once they're ready, you'll go in one more time to have the old crowns taken off and the new ones put on. These new crowns will match the shape, size, and color of your teeth perfectly, ensuring that no one can tell that you have damaged teeth. They'll also serve to protect your teeth from external damage, reducing the risk of breaking and pain.