Crown Fell Out

Even the best dental treatment can run into difficulties, and restorative techniques – such as veneers and crowns – can often come loose or fall out altogether. It’s important to consider any cosmetic repair to be as fragile as your own teeth, which are still vulnerable to damage, despite the fact that they are made out of the hardest bone in the human body. Don’t assume that manmade materials are going to last forever without any signs of wear and tear, you need to look after your dental restorations as well as you would your natural teeth, otherwise you might be in need of further treatment sooner than you think.

My crown fell out, what should I do?

The first thing you need to do is make sure you keep hold of the loose crown, it’s very easy to swallow dental pieces if they fall out, and while this won’t do you any actual physical damage, you will need another crown preparing, which can be both costly and time consuming. It’s more dangerous if you actually inhale the crown, you could choke on it – if it’s a large molar, or it could get stuck in your lungs and cause a lot of problems. Don’t lose any sleep over these risks, it’s not likely to happen if your restorations do come loose, but it’s worth remembering in case you do suffer some dental damage; get hold of the crown and keep it in a safe place until you can have it reattached.

Secondly, get in touch with your dentist and schedule an appointment to have your tooth repaired. Unless you are a severe amount of pain or there is some other type of damage, you don’t have to call the emergency clinic, but you should try and get an appointment as soon as possible, to minimise the risk of further damage to the tooth in question. Whilst making your booking, explain you situation in as much detail as you can, then the surgery will be fully aware of what has happened, and they may be able to fit you in at an earlier time, given that you require more extensive treatment than a simple check-up.

If the crown has fallen out due to some serious dental trauma, you need to call your nearest emergency dentist and arrange an appointment; most surgeries that provide emergency services are open twenty-four hours a day, so you don’t have to worry about scheduling treatment during office hours. The Pearl Dental Clinic offers both check-ups and emergency appointments for patients who are new to the surgery or already registered; keep their number handy if you are undergoing dental surgery, that way you won’t be fumbling around in a panic if something untoward should occur.

Next, you should clean the affected area, in order to get a more accurate picture of the overall damage. Take a soft toothbrush and clean the crown (don’t do this over the sink, you might drop it down the plughole), then brush away any loose cement that’s around the tooth, being careful not to disturb any tooth fragments if the area has been significantly damaged. From here, there’s not a lot you can do but wait for your dentist to repair the crown, but you could temporarily cement it in place for the time begin, providing you ask the dentists advice before proceeding. While you wait for your appointment, you need to be careful what you eat and drink, and don’t take part in any contact sports, the re-shaped tooth is vulnerable enough, without you putting it in further danger. Avoid hard, sticky foods and very sugary drinks, your tooth is unprotected and should be treated with more care than usual.

What will happen when my I arrive for my appointment?

The only permanent solution to a loose or broken crown is to speak to a dentist, either your local one or an emergency surgeon, don’t rely on provisional measures such as dental cement to hold your crown in place for very long. If you can wait long enough, you’re better off making a regular appointment, rather than visiting a walk-in clinic, as some emergency dentists may choose to patch you up temporarily, in preparation for more long-term treatment. This method might be helpful if you are in pain or you need immediate cosmetic restoration, but it’s likely to cost you more and you will still need to return to the clinic in a few days time.

For a routine crown replacement, your dentist will first have to establish whether your original piece can be reattached or you need another crown modelling – this depends whether the crown itself was damaged, it may just be that the cement has come loose or been weakened by certain bad habits. Because the tooth underneath has been exposed to food debris and bacteria, it is necessary to disinfect the whole area and give the teeth a thorough clean; it won’t do any good to simply cement the crown back in place over the top of the tooth, this could be trapping infectious bacteria or troublesome food particles beneath it. When your dentist has decided how best to proceed, they can prepare the enamel for another layer of cement, they do this by ‘etching’ it, in order to create a rough surface for the crown to adhere to, without this part of the process, chances are the crown would come loose and fall out again before long.

If the affected tooth had been damaged, any sharp fragments will have to be removed or filed down, so that the crown can fit comfortably over the top. Unfortunately, this often means that the original crown won’t fit properly any more, in which case you will need a new one manufacturing. It can take several days or even weeks until your new crown is ready to be fixed in place, during this time your dentist may fit you with a temporary acrylic replacement, which won’t look or feel as natural, but should perform sufficiently for the required amount of time.