Keep Your Cool When a Filling or Crown is Lost
Fillings and crowns never seem to get lost right before a dental visit, or in the morning on a day you have nothing planned, or even when you’re in town on a day when you can easily phone your dentist and come in for an appointment. No – lost fillings and crowns somehow always happen at night, when you are outside Placerville, and of course on the weekend, in the mountains or on the lake.
What to Do?
The first thing to do when you lose a crown or filling is try to retrieve and save the crown. This applies to overlays or inlays too, because they are also made in dental labs, just like the crown, and are more expensive than fillings. (Fillings will just get replaced with new material.) Second, don’t panic! This is not a medical or likely even a dental emergency. While your tooth may hurt because your vulnerable dental tissue is now exposed and sensitive, this doesn’t mean doom and gloom for your tooth. But there are steps you can take so the fix you receive goes well.
- Call your dentist to make an appointment as soon as possible. Your dentist will have options for out of town situations or if we feel this is a true dental emergency.
- Keep the crown in a safe, clean place.
- Purchase some clove oil, or a dental analgesic, at the drug store and apply to your painful tooth with a cotton swab.
- If you must wait to see a dentist and there are no other options, purchase some dental cement at the drug store to affix your crown. This is not a permanent solution. Do not use regular or “super” glue. Drug store solutions only hold the crown in place until you see a dentist.
- In the event of a lost crown or filling, you can place dental cement directly on the tooth surface to protect and seal it. You will still need to see your dentist ASAP.
- Avoid chewing on the area of your mouth with the lost filling or crown (or go with a mild liquid diet until you see the dentist).
As soon as possible, get in to see your dentist (or one recommended by your dentist if you are on an extended vacation). A lost filling or crown may put a damper on your weekend or your holiday, but the Placerville Dental Group can fix it, provided that you haven’t made it worse by ignoring it. When you lose a filling, keep your cool and you’ll soon be back to smiling again.
0 Comments