DENTAL EMERGENCY: LOST FILLING OR DENTAL CROWN

EMERGENCY DENTAL CARE

Damaged Crown

Fillings are materials used to build your tooth back up after removing a cavity. A dental crown is made of porcelain, zirconia, or metal wrapped around weakened teeth to prevent fracture. But sometimes, fillings and crowns will fall out. In most cases, decay caused by cavities will form underneath the filling or crown and cause them to dislodge from your tooth.

The exposed tooth surface is often very sensitive to temperature, pressure, or air, so you should schedule an appointment as soon as possible. If you lose a crown, try to keep it in a safe place; it may be able to be reused. However, the crown cannot be reused if decay occurs on the tooth. If you wait a long time before you replace your crown, the adjacent teeth will start shifting and taking up the space that your crown used to be in, preventing you from being able to fit the most optimum-shaped crown into the area.

If you have lost a filling or dental crown, you need to be seen immediately to have it fixed.

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What To Do Until You Can Get To Your Dentist’s Office

-Apply a small amount of clove oil to the tooth; it will provide some pain relief. Clove oil is available over the counter at most drug stores.
-You can go to your local drugstore and buy temporary cement to put back on your crown. Do not use temporary cement if the area is swollen and hurting; this could cause a more serious infection.
–Note: Do not use super glue to glue your crown; this will cause permanent and irreversible damage to your tooth.

Your Visit Will Include

-X-rays will be taken of the affected tooth
-Diagnosis to see if there are any cavities or decay that has formed on the tooth surface

Treatment

Treatment depends on whether decay is present.

1) If the crown has dislodged and there are no cavities present, the crown can be permanently cemented again if the integrity of the margins is intact.
2) If the tooth has decay, the decay must be removed and a new filling material placed. This changes the tooth’s structure, and a new porcelain dental crown will need to be made.
3) A replacement filling will typically be completed for teeth missing a filling.