Your dentist might give you a dental crown to replace weakened tooth enamel. This ceramic cap covers the entire surface of a tooth and seals into place with dental cement. It provides an effective shield to restore a tooth’s structure and protect it from further harm.
Dentists design dental crowns to be durable so that the fixtures do not interfere with oral function. However, a crown might break, crack, or dislodge from the tooth under abnormal pressure. If this happens, you will require urgent repair from your dentist to fix the damaged crown.
You can react more swiftly and efficiently if you know what to do ahead of this dental emergency. Read on to learn details about the actions you should take if you sustain damage to a dental crown.
Contact Your Dentist Immediately
If you break a dental crown, the underlying vulnerable tooth becomes exposed to external threats. You could face a high risk of decay, infection, or other problems in that tooth without proper protection from the crown. So you must call your dentist right away if you suspect an issue with your crown.
You might feel tempted to try an over-the-counter dental adhesive to fix the broken crown. But these products, when used improperly, may cause further problems for this fixture. Ask a dentist before trying this store-bought adhesive.
The dentist can also offer advice to manage pain and other discomforts in the immediate aftermath of this dental emergency. Do not delay contacting your dentist or you could face serious and irreversible dental damage.
Attend an Emergency Dental Evaluation
Your dentist will ask you to come to their office for an emergency evaluation to fix the broken crown. Bring the crown with you to the appointment if it is no longer covering the tooth.
The dentist will examine the crown, the affected tooth, and the rest of your smile to ascertain the extent of the damage. If the crown remains intact, they can place the crown back over the tooth and seal it into place again during this visit.
However, if the crown sustains too much damage, the dentist will need to build a new one. They can provide you with a temporary crown to protect the tooth while constructing a permanent crown in the lab.
Protect Your Crown from Further Damage
Once you have a dental crown secured over your tooth, you want to take precautionary measures to ensure this problem does not happen again. You should not bite down on unnecessarily hard items that can exert enough pressure to damage a crown. For instance, do not chew ice or bite your fingernails.
You should also practice proper oral hygiene to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental concerns that can impact the fit of a crown. Brush your teeth at least twice per day and floss every day. Find optimal preventative dental care and more when you visit your dentist on a regular basis.