What Should You Do When You Crack A Tooth?

Ouch! 

Chomp on something your tooth didn’t like? Or get hit in the mouth with a hockey puck?

If you think you may have a cracked tooth, or if you’re holding a piece of your tooth in your hand, follow these steps. 


1. Call us at, 630-469-9515 to schedule an appointment. Let us know about your emergency and we will make our best effort to see you right away. If our office is closed, our outgoing message will prompt you to press '5' to leave a direct message for Dr. DeLeon.

2. If there are tooth fragments that have fallen out, preserve them in a clean container with a moist solution (cold milk or water), and bring them in to your appointment.

3. If your cracked tooth is the result of a fall or an accident, your first step may be to get yourself to the emergency room. Please make sure you address serious injuries before contacting our office.

4. Always remember that if you are not a patient of record, a Dentist cannot prescribe medications for you over the phone. So you will also want to go to the ER if it is after regular office hours, and you are experiencing severe pain or swelling. 

All of these are great suggestions for what to do if a tooth has broken. However, prevention is always best! Come on in and see us for your routine teeth cleaning and check up. Then we can address small issues before they become big problems!

We all know drinking enough water is good for our health. And when you’re feeling parched, there’s nothing better than a tall drink of ice-cold water to dampen that dry mouth of yours. But what do you do when you find yourself constantly needing to wet your whistle? There are numerous reasons you could be suffering from dry mouth. Below are the top five. 

Physiologic 

Sometimes having a dry mouth is just a normal part of life. Temporary anxiety, open-mouthed breathing, mild dehydration, menopause, pregnancy, and decreased saliva due to sleep are all normal causes of dry mouth. 

Prescription medication 

Sixty-three percent of the top 200 most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S. are known to cause dry mouth. And the higher the number of medications a person takes, the higher the chance of dry mouth. Reasons You May Have A Dry Mouth 1 2 Blog Post Copy & Paste the blog title from the top of the post 1 Copy, paste, and edit the body text. Please make sure that you’ve edited any red text below before publishing your post. 2 Download and use the image as a cover for your blog post 3 3 Download Image That’s why as we age, we tend to experience more instances of dry mouth. It’s not necessarily age-related, but our consumption of medication may cause this side effect. 

Habitual use of alcohol and tobacco 

Use of any of these products will dry out the oral cavity. Please drink in moderation, and make sure to up your water intake when you imbibe. As for tobacco, we always recommend quitting as soon as possible. 

Chronic Disease 

Diabetes, Sjogren’s disease, Sarcoidosis, Hepatitic C can all cause dry mouth. 

Psychogenic or Idiopathic 

When symptoms are present without an identifiable cause (idiopathic), or because of psychological causes (psychogenic), they can be difficult to diagnose. 

Figuring out which one is causing your dry mouth is so important because a dry mouth has a big effect on your dental health. Saliva is so important for swishing away bacteria. The dryer the mouth, the more prone you are to cavities, bad breath, and gingivitis. 

Give us a call today at, 630-469-9515 so that we can help determine the best way for you to alleviate the symptoms of dry mouth that you are experiencing. 

Proper Brushing FAQs

Should your mouth be open or closed? Is it best to brush after lunch, after dinner, or both? Flat or at an angle? We brush our teeth several times per day (hopefully!), but who knew it was so complicated. Just grab a brush a get to it, right? Hey there, not so fast, my friend! There are actually some best practices to be mindful of.

The trick is cutting through the fat and finding out exactly what works. We live in a world of alternate facts, truthiness, and fancy 'how to' lists. Who knows what we're supposed to believe! But, fear not my brushing and flossing friends, because we’ve got you covered with this handy FAQ (frequently asked questions) guide. We've simplified the whole thing for you right here!

Proper Brushing Habits

Don’t: Keep your toothbrush flat.
Do: Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle.

Don’t: Brush with super long strokes.
Do: Take your time! No need to clean your whole mouth in one stroke. Brush using short, side to side strokes.

Don’t: Ram your toothbrush over your teeth and gums with the force of a giant. No need to be angry with your teeth, they love you!
Do: Use a gentle touch. This will help to prevent wear and tear on your enamel as well as recession of your gums.

Don’t: Brush just once a day.
Do: Brush two to three times a day. Especially after you eat or drink something acidic (like juice or soda).

Don’t: Become emotionally attached your toothbrush.
Do: Change it out every 3-4 months. A great tip: switch out on the first day of each new season.

Don’t: Follow the crowd – the average person only brushes their teeth for 45 seconds
Do: Brush your teeth for a full 2 minutes. A helpful trick: divide your mouth into four sections. Then, sing the alphabet while brushing each section, switching sections when you hit the letter Z!

Don’t: Store your toothbrush in a closed container.
Do: Keep your toothbrush in a place where it is allowed to air dry.

Don’t: Purchase a toothbrush with medium or hard bristles.
Do: Always get a SOFT-bristled toothbrush. Soft bristles are much better for your enamel, and much kinder to your gums.

So, there you have it! Remember: Brushing is only 4-6 minutes out of your day, so start singing your ABC's and keep on brushin!!!

Porcelain Veneers vs. Tooth Bonding

When considering options to improve their smiles, patients often wonder what cosmetic choices are available to them.

Two of the most popular modern cosmetic procedures are porcelain veneers and dental bonding. While they address similar concerns, the application for each treatment is different, as is the cost and time involved. Both of these procedures are able to correct:

• Tooth Discoloration
• Chips and Minor Cracks
• Gaps in Teeth
• Undersized or Misshapen Teeth
• Enamel Defects or Wear
• Misalignment

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are thin, durable strips of porcelain that fit over the front of your teeth, are custom-made using an impression of your teeth, and matched to the color of natural teeth. After minimal tooth preparation, the veneers are bonded in place. The result is a beautiful smile that can last up to twenty years and sometimes more.

Composite Resin Bonding

Cosmetic resin is used in dental bonding to fill in chips, gaps, or reshape and whiten your teeth within a single visit. The putty-like resin is applied and molded before being hardening. After it has been cured, the resin looks virtually identical to natural teeth.

What about the Cost?

Veneers can cost anywhere between $1000 and $2000 per tooth, though there are many options. The final cost will depend largely on the choices you and your dentist make together.

Tooth bonding on the other hand may cost less than half the amount of veneers, typically an average of $500 per tooth. While veneers typically last longer and are less prone to discoloration, bonding can still significantly improve the look of your smile.

Which Should You Choose?

Sometimes, as in the case of smaller chips and cracks, bonding is an effective choice. If cost or time as major issues, then tooth bonding may best fit your needs.  Another reason many people choose bonding over veneers is less preparation, compared to the prepping of the teeth that is necessary before applying veneers.

Larger areas of damage on one or more of your teeth are better addressed with porcelain veneers.
Overall, veneers have a more natural look than dental bonding, and are more durable, especially when treating large area.

Before making your decision, reach out to Dr. DeLeon and our team to help you understand the immediate and long term effects of your choices.

Call DeLeon Family Dental (630) 469-9515 for your veneers consultation.

Which Cosmetic Treatment Do I Need?

Cosmetic dentistry is a broad term for a wide range of dental treatments that help you achieve a smile that looks healthy and strong.  There are any number of things that can detract from your smile’s appearance, such as dental trauma or oral health problems, but cosmetic dentistry is versatile in its ability to correct, repair, and improve.

Cosmetic dentistry provides treatment for:

Tooth Decay

Decayed dental enamel both looks bad for your smile and poses a threat for your oral health. But decay can be repaired with a number of cosmetic restorations. Depending on how large the area of decay is, solutions include dental fillings, inlays, onlays, and crowns. Each of these treatments is designed to remove the decayed portion of dental enamel and replace it with a composite resin or other tooth-colored material, such as porcelain or ceramic. Cosmetic treatment for decay allows your teeth to look and feel healthy.

Staining and Discoloration

Teeth can appear yellow or gray over time, especially if you’re a coffee drinker, smoker, or simply as a part of the aging process. For surface stains caused by food, beverage, and lifestyle choices, there is teeth whitening treatment. Teeth bleaching helps to break-down discoloration, so you see a whiter smile in as little as one hour with an in-office whitening method. For teeth that cannot be brightened with bleaching, porcelain veneers can be used to cover the surfaces of teeth with a shell of white-colored dental porcelain.

Missing Teeth

Modern treatments for missing teeth give patients more comfortable care than ever before. To fill a gap in your smile caused by one or more missing teeth, there are full and partial dentures, as well as fixed bridges and dental implants. For the benefit of both cosmetic appeal and oral function, dental implants are often the best choice. Implants use a small, surgically placed screw that is topped with a tooth-colored restoration to make your treated smile look as life-like as possible.

Size, Symmetry, and Alignment Issues

It’s not uncommon to have one or two teeth that are smaller than surrounding teeth, or to have a problem tooth that has tilted and twisted out of place over the years.  For alignment problems, there are orthodontic treatments like traditional braces, but these often don’t appeal to patients for whom cosmetics are important. Cosmetic dental therapies, like porcelain veneers, are capable of altering the shape of teeth, as well as their alignment, for more symmetrical, even-looking teeth with just one procedure.

We Can Help you Find the Right Cosmetic Treatment

Our cosmetic dental therapies are designed to restore the natural, healthy appearance of your smile. If you have questions about which treatment will deliver the results you’re looking for, call our Glen Ellyn, IL cosmetic dental office for assistance from our team.

How Implants Improve the Denture-Wearing Experience

While removable dentures are many patients’ go-to treatment for correcting total tooth loss, they come with some drawbacks. Full, removable dentures are held in place by denture adhesive and often come loose during the day, which produces discomfort and limits basic oral function.

But adding dental implants to your denture treatment, your denture-wearing experience greatly improves in the following ways:

Implants Make Dentures Stable

The biggest complaint that many patients have about removable denture is that they simply don’t stay in place – and that makes everyday things (like talking without a lisp, or enjoying meals) a legitimate problem , which lowers quality of life.

Implants, however, can be used as anchors to hold your dentures in place through one of two methods: your dentist can use a combination of dentures and locators (or clips) that your dentures snap on to. By using permanent implants as your attachments (instead of denture paste) oral function is much improved. Your dentist can also recommend screw-retained dentures, which permanently hold your denture in place with a slightly larger number of dental implants. In either case, implant dentures provide patients with teeth that function more like their own, real teeth.

Implant Dentures Don’t Irritate Soft Tissue

Because implant dentures stay in place throughout the day – or even permanently -- they won’t rub on or irritate gums, another major complaint from denture-wearers. By slipping on gums, removable dentures can actually cause gum tissue to shrink, which ultimately gives denture-wearers a prematurely aged appearance.

Permanent Dentures Help You Enjoy a Balanced Diet

Many patients may not consider this aspect of denture treatment, but removable dentures don’t do much in the way of helping you bite and chew. In order to feel well and healthy, it’s important to eat a balanced diet and to chew your food entirely for digestive health. But because traditional dentures are not completely secure, denture-wearers can’t do things like properly chew or bite into food. Many patients with dentures forgo eating to avoid dealing with the hassle or end up severely limiting their diets to accommodate their dental appliances. This presents significant drawbacks for your health and vitality. Implant dentures supply patients with strong dental appliances that can withstand normal biting and chewing force for improved overall wellness.

Permanent dentures provide significant health and wellness benefits for patents who are missing all of their teeth. If you have traditional dentures and are interested in implants to stabilize your prosthetics, please call our Glen Ellyn family dental office for more information.

How Can I Tell if I Have TMJ Problems?

TMJ dysfunction is an issue that just about all dental patients face in some capacity. While not everyone has a severe case of TMJ disorder that presents clear and uncomfortable symptoms, there are some signs to look out for that may indicate you could benefit from TMJ therapy. If you suspect you have TMD, ask yourself the following questions:

Are your jaw joints sore when you wake up in the morning?

If so, this could be a sign that you’ve been clenching your jaw at night, which is one of the classic symptoms of TMJ problems.  This subconscious grinding puts quite a bit of pressure on teeth and can leave your jaw feeling tight and uncomfortable in the morning. This discomfort can make it hard to do bite, chew, and even swallow.

Has your dentist commented that your teeth are looking worn-down?

Persistent jaw clenching often goes hand-in-hand with teeth grinding as a part of common TMD symptoms. After a while, the surfaces of your teeth begin to wear-down from all of the pressure and movement created during teeth grinding. If your dentist has noted that your teeth are beginning to look significantly flatter, it may be time to consider dental restorations and TMJ treatment.

Do you find that you have frequent pain in your neck or facial muscles?

Unfortunately, your teeth and jaw aren’t the only parts of your body that suffer if you have TMJ problems. When muscles in your jaw are tight from off-balance bite or involuntary clenching, it’s not uncommon to experience discomfort in other areas like your neck, or even to have frequent headaches as a result.

Getting a Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Diagnosis

While all of the above symptoms can signify the presence of TMD, the best way to confirm that the discomfort you’re experiencing is indeed from TMJ issues is to contact your dentist.  We offer TMD therapies that can help relieve the discomfort associated with this condition. We can also restore damaged teeth with treatment like natural-looking dental crowns. If you have any questions, please contact our Glen Ellyn dental office for your consultation.