My crown fell out. What do I do tonight?
Five steps that protect the tooth until morning — and the one thing that ruins it.
A crown coming off is startling, not dangerous. The tooth underneath is smaller and often sensitive, but it's fine overnight if you protect it. Here's what to do in the next ten minutes.
- Find the crown and keep it — don't throw it away, we can often re-cement it
- Rinse your mouth with warm salt water
- Keep the tooth clean and chew on the other side
- Cover it with drugstore temporary cement if it's sharp or sensitive
- Call us first thing — say “lost crown” and we'll fit you in
The one thing that ruins it
Super glue. Every few months someone glues their own crown back on, and it seals bacteria against the tooth or locks the crown in the wrong position. It usually turns a re-cement appointment into a root canal. Don't.
Bring the crown with you. Half the time, we clean it, re-cement it, and you're out in twenty minutes.
Why it came off
Usually the cement finally gave out, or there's new decay under the edge. Occasionally the tooth itself has cracked. We'll take a quick X-ray and tell you which of the three it is before we do anything.
When it can't wait until morning
Call immediately — don't wait — if you have swelling, throbbing pain, a fever, or the tooth is broken off at the gumline. Those are infections and fractures, not a loose crown.
Lost a crown today?
Call before noon on a weekday and we'll see you the same day.
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