Temporary Care for Lost Crowns or Fillings

It’s not a common occurrence, but for those with dental crowns or other dental implants, losing a filling or crown can be startling. Crowns may fall out for a few reasons, including chewing hard foods or saliva breaking down the bonding. At the offices of Grant Dental, we’re here to help if this ever happens. Both before and after you call our office immediately to inform them of the issue, here are some steps to take to care for a lost crown or filling until you can get into the office.

Remove and Keep

Firstly, remove the crown from your mouth so you don’t accidentally swallow it or breathe it in. If you did swallow it, don’t panic – it usually passes without issues. After removal, keep the crown or filling if you can. You’ll want to bring it to our office later on so we can diagnose the issue.

Call a Dentist

After removal, your very next step is to immediately call our office and book an appointment at the earliest possible date.

Protecting the Tooth

Your primary concern until you can get to our office is protecting the tooth. If your lost crown is intact, you may be able to slip it back over the tooth temporarily – clean the inside and coat it with dental cement to hold it in place (dental cement can be found at most drug stores). If this doesn’t work, dental wax can usually be molded over the missing tooth to fill the void.

Keeping it Clean

Take extra care with oral hygiene if you’ve lost a crown, including removal of food debris and rinsing with warm salt water after eating.

Dulling Pain

A crown or filling that falls out may expose nerves inside the teeth, and this can be painful during eating or drinking. If this is the case, buy clove olive oil from a drug store and apply it to the tooth with a cotton swab. This will numb the pain. If the pain doesn’t go away, take an over-the-counter pain reliever.

Foods to Avoid

Try to chew food on the unaffected side of the mouth, and also avoid foods and drinks that are overly sweet, hard to chew, served at extreme temperatures or overly acidic or erosive. For more on temporary care for a missing crown or filling, or for more on any of our dental servicesspeak to the staff at the offices of Grant Dental today.

Temporary Care for Lost Crowns or Fillings Temporary Care for Lost Crowns or Fillings

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