A Parent’s Guide to Emergency Dental Care

Posted on: 26 July 2017

A crown is a tooth-shaped structure that your dentist uses to cover the surface of a damaged tooth. Sometimes, a crown can become loose and fall off, due either to damage to the crown itself or to continuing decay of the tooth underneath. Knowing what to do when you lose a crown can save you some discomfort and trouble.

Locate the Crown

The first thing that you need to do is locate the crown. Make sure it's not in your mouth – you don't want to swallow it or inhale it into your lungs.

Swallowing a crown isn't usually dangerous, but it can cost you some money. If you find the crown, there's a chance that it can be reattached, but if you swallow or otherwise lose it, you'll have to pay for a new one to be made. Aspirating the crown into your lungs can be dangerous – your lungs are meant to be sterile, and anything that enters that area can become infected, so you want to avoid that.

Clean the Crown

Clean the crown off with your toothbrush and look inside of it. Is it hollow? The loss of a crown can leave a damaged tooth exposed to bacteria. In order to protect the tooth until you can get to the dentist, you may want to attempt to reattach the crown.

If it the crown is hollow, or if you notice a small metal rod protruding from inside of it, then it means that only the crown came off and it can probably be temporarily reattached. You can pick up dental cement from your drugstore and use to temporarily affix the tooth in place. Do not use adhesives that aren't meant for dental use, like superglue. They won't adhere correctly and may damage your teeth. Keep in mind that over-the-counter dental adhesive is only a temporary fix. You still need to see your dentist, ASAP.

If the crown isn't hollow, you may see part of your tooth inside the crown instead. This means you're your tooth fractured inside of it, in which case you're probably out of luck. You're not going to be able to reattach the crown. You should still clean it and put it into a safe place. Bring it with you when you go to see the dentist.

 Relieve the Pain

Between whatever caused you to lose the crown and the exposure of your damaged tooth to the air, you may be experiencing some pain. Reattaching the crown (if you can) can help relieve that pain, but if you can't reattach it, or if you need relief before you can reattach it, some over the counter pain relievers can help.

Try a topical oral anesthetic that you apply directly to the painful area. This is the fastest way to get relief from the pain. If you have some clove oil around the house, you can apply that instead – it has a numbing effect. Ibuprofen can help reduce any swelling in your mouth, which can help you stay pain-free once the clove oil or oral anesthetic wears off.

Of course, the most important thing you should do is contact a dentist, like Demianko Dental Care, for an appointment to have the crown repaired. The sooner you have the crown fixed, the better off your tooth will be.