A filling or crown that came out
Usually undramatic, usually painless for a day or two, and one of the quickest problems on this list to get expensive.
What this covers
- A crown that came off whole
- Often over something sticky, often with no pain, and often with the crown still intact in your hand. Keep it. It is frequently the thing that goes back on.
- A filling that fell out
- Leaves a cavity with a sharp rim that the tongue will find every thirty seconds. Sensitivity to cold and air usually starts within a day.
- A crown that came off with something attached
- If there is a dark core or a post inside the crown, part of the tooth has come with it. That changes what happens next and it is worth mentioning on the call.
- A temporary that came off
- Temporaries are designed to be removable and they do come off early. Still a call, because the prepared tooth underneath will drift and become sensitive.
What happens, in order
- 01
Find it and keep it
Rinse it, dry it, and put it somewhere you will not lose it. A crown you brought in is a shorter appointment than one you did not.
- 02
Look inside it
Hollow and clean usually means the tooth is intact. Something solid and dark inside means part of the tooth came away, which is useful information.
- 03
Keep the area clean and cool
Brush gently around it. Exposed dentine reacts to cold, so lukewarm drinks for a couple of days.
- 04
Call and describe which version it is
Ring (765) 330-8726. Crown, filling, or temporary, and whether anything is inside it.
What the tooth underneath is actually like
A tooth prepared for a crown has been shaped down considerably, and the surface that is now exposed is the softer layer under the enamel. It is more sensitive than normal tooth, it wears faster, and it takes on stain. None of that is dangerous over a few days. Over a few months it is what turns a re-cement appointment into a rebuild.
Teeth move faster than people believe
An uncovered prepared tooth and the teeth on either side of it start to drift within days. If the crown is not back on before that happens, the old crown may no longer fit, and something that was going to be a short visit becomes a new one made from scratch. This is the practical reason a painless lost crown is still a same-week call.
The temporary cement question
Pharmacy temporary cement exists and it is sold for exactly this. It is a stopgap for a night, not a decision, and it goes wrong when a crown is seated slightly off and then set. If you use it, say so when you call so the practice knows what it is looking at.
Worth knowing
Do not glue it back in
Household adhesives are not safe in the mouth and they can make the tooth unrestorable.
Do not wear a crown that will not sit properly
A crown that rocks or will not seat has something in the way, and forcing it can split the tooth.
Do not chew on that side
The exposed tooth has less structure than it looks like it has.
A filling or crown that came out, asked and answered
It does not hurt. Can it wait a month?
It can, and the appointment at the end of that month is usually a bigger one. Teeth drift and prepared surfaces deteriorate.
I swallowed the crown.
It happens, and it is normally uneventful. Mention it on the call, and mention it to a doctor if you develop abdominal pain.
Can I put it back in myself just to check?
Seating it dry for a moment to see whether it goes is reasonable. Cementing it yourself is not.
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A chipped or broken tooth
Most of these do not hurt on the day, which is exactly why so many of them get left.
A toothache that will not settle
The single most common reason anybody dials an emergency dentist, and the one where waiting costs the most.
A broken denture or plate
Rarely painful, always disruptive, and the one where the home repair does more harm than the break did.
Nothing on this page can look at your tooth.
This is general information about a filling or crown that came out. Whether it is what you have, and whether it can be handled here, are both questions for the call.