Emergency Dental Crowns

There are many reasons why a dental crown might fall out, break, or come loose. Usually, this can happen while eating, flossing, or brushing your teeth.

The problem can either be attributed to the crown itself or the tooth structure underneath. With proper maintenance, your dental crown can last anywhere between 5 to 15 years. Some common reasons why your crown might fail include:

Dental Trauma

Dental trauma, such as a blow to the tooth or when you bite into hard food, can break your crown and cause it to fall off.

Chronic Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, puts excessive force on your teeth. Just as bruxism can cause your natural teeth to crack, it can also destroy your dental crown.

Decay of the Underlying Tooth Structure

When the tooth structure underneath the crown decays along the gum line, the tooth becomes too small for the crown, loosening it and making it susceptible to failure.

Your Dentist Used Weak or Contaminated Cement

Sometimes, dental crowns fail because the cement used to glue them wasn’t prepared correctly. At Vero Dental Spa, our emergency dentists only use the highest quality cement for crowns, ensuring that yours stays in place for years to come.

When you notice that a crown has come loose or cracked, the first thing you should do is locate it or the pieces. If your crown is still completely intact, we most likely can reattach it.

If you notice that your crown is dislodged or loose, you can try gently pulling it off to avoid accidentally swallowing or losing it.

At Vero Dental Spa, we can reattach the crown for you. If we find that it’s cracked and that the defect is due to something other than loose cement, we will need to fabricate a new crown.

You should come to our office as soon as possible before the tooth becomes too weak or damaged to hold a crown or the gap causes your teeth to shift.

If you’re feeling excessive pain from the exposed tooth, there are several ways you can try and reduce discomfort until you get to the dentist:

Apply some clove oil on a cotton swab to dull the tooth pain. You can typically find clove oil at your local CVS pharmacy or the spice aisle at your supermarket.

Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, like Aspirin or Aleve.

Remember that these are very temporary fixes to relieve pain. If you’ve lost or broken a crown, it’s important to contact our office as soon as possible.

Sometimes, you might think your dental crown is cracked when it’s just the underlying tooth structure. At Vero Dental Spa, we will address your cracked tooth and do everything we can to preserve the underlying tooth structure.

Wear a Nightguard

Wearing a mouthguard while you sleep can help preserve your crown from cracking, especially if you’re prone to bruxism and teeth grinding.

Avoid Hard Foods and Candies

Sticky and hard foods and candies are some of the biggest causes of dental trauma. Avoid biting directly into hard candies.

Avoid Chewing on Ice or Using Your Teeth as Tools

It’s not uncommon for crowns to become damaged or loose from patients using their teeth as tools to open the packaging.