4 Steps To Keep You From Panicking If Your Crown Falls Out
You're enjoying your favorite dessert, but something doesn't feel quite right suddenly. If you're not mistaken, you've just lost your crown and you're about to freak out. Before you panic, take a few deep breaths and make sure that you cover all of these bases.
Take Stock of the Situation
When the crown first falls out, you may or may not notice right away. If you're lucky, you'll hear or feel something that makes you stop whatever you're doing. Look carefully at the crown and make sure there is no food stuck to the exterior or to the interior. Put it in a safe place and then brush your teeth gently. Swish some mouthwash in your mouth to make sure that you remove any debris that could be in the area where your crown used to sit.
Figure Out Which Way the Crown Fits
Front crowns are usually easy to determine which part is the front and which is the back. With other teeth, you may need to test fit the crown to figure out how it fits back into your mouth. Be very careful while doing this, and if you feel any pain, stop. Try to do this in front of a mirror so that you aren't working blind. This is just to make sure you can tell how the crown fits back into place.
Use Temporary Adhesive
Get some dental cement at a local drugstore. This is temporary cement that works very similarly to the cement that your dentist would use to reseat the crown in your mouth. If you cannot locate dental cement in the tooth care aisle, then denture paste comes in a close second. Denture paste is extremely sticky and can hold the crown for a day or two. Be sure to avoid chewing directly on that crown since that can loosen the bond of the cement or the paste.
Call Your Dentist
These types of problems never seem to pop up during normal business hours, so be sure to call your dentist as soon as his office is open. Let the office know exactly what you've tried already and ask if there is anything else you need to do until you can get in for an appointment. Try to get into the dentist's office right away because this can minimize any pain you're experiencing. The sooner your dentist can attach that crown to your exposed tooth, the better.
Whether you need a crown to be put back into place or you want to talk about potential crowns you might need, get in touch with your dentist. He can help to determine which dental procedures are right for your needs. For more information, contact Pinon Hills Dental or a similar location.
