It’s a disconcerting feeling when you feel something wiggle in your mouth and you’re an adult. After investigating further, you find that it’s not a tooth – instead you find that it’s a crown. You may have had work done on your teeth, like a root canal, perhaps. Crowns are usually very strong and can withstand a lot, but there are times when something can happen. This is one of those times.
What caused the crown to become loose or broken? Perhaps the cement that was applied to the tooth to hold the crown was not set properly. Did you bite down on something hard – like an ice cube or cough drop?
There are other reasons for a crown becoming loose or broken – you might have had a traumatic event, the crown might be old, tooth decay might still be occurring under the crown, and if you eat sticky foods, that can also increase the chances that the crown might be pulled out of its mooring. Also, if you grind your teeth at night, then this may also damage the crown.
Here are some answers to the question: “My crown is broken or loose. What do I do?”
Remove The Crown
This might seem like bad advice on first glance. Wouldn’t you be better served to try to leave it in and make haste to see a dental professional? If you do that, you run the risk of having the crown come out and your possibly swallowing it at some point. Then that means that you’re going to need a new crown – although you will pass the other one, it’s just not…. feasible to re-use the old one.
Take the crown out and look at it closely. Are there pieces of the tooth that it’s supposed to be protecting still in there? You will probably see bits of the cement. Use a toothbrush to clean out the crown to make for a clean inner surface for the dentist to apply a new amount of cement to have the crown re-bond to the tooth that it will be covering. Having old cement in there will make it much more difficult.
See A Dentist As Fast As You Can
A loose or broken crown becomes an emergency – not so much for the crown itself but because the tooth that it is covering up is likely very sensitive to either heat or cold. An exposed tooth like that can make for uncomfortable times. So… go to the nearest emergency dentist. Speed is of the essence, since the faster the crown is reapplied or replaced, the faster you can go back to enjoying life again.
Avoid Trying To Fix It Yourself
There are a lot of videos out there showing how to fix nearly everything. This is one topic that you should not be entering into the search bar. You may see crown adhesive kits at a drugstore. This is only if you find yourself in a very rural area with no way to get to any kind of dentist or even a hospital. If you do use this, you will likely have to keep reapplying it – it’s a VERY short term solution. Forget about using Krazy Glue or any other items – that will be a recipe for disaster.
One thing to add – only use that kit if the crown is whole. If it is broken, then you are going to have to get to the dentist as soon as possible, since that will require a dental lab to create a whole new crown for you. Should you have a broken crown, put some gum over the tooth to protect it while you wait – sugar-free, of course.
Having a crown become loose or broken can make you feel like your life is upended. A layer of protection has suddenly disappeared. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of making sure that you stay focused and get help as fast as you can. Stay calm and assess the situation. You may feel stressed but being prepared can go a long way to help rectify everything.
Don’t sweat it if this happens if you live in or near Clearwater, Florida. You can come to Dental Emergency Room and they will get your crown situation fixed as quickly as possible. Give them a call at 727-449-2424 today!
Published By:
Dental Emergency Room
1935 Drew Street
Clearwater, Florida 33765
Columbus, OH 43205
Phone: 727-449-2424
Website: https://www.dentaler.com
Leave A Comment