Crowns are excellent for restoring a tooth that may have had a large filling or was too weak prior because crowns help to make teeth stronger and improve aesthetic. Essentially, a crown serves as a cover that is cemented to fit on top of a tooth. The cements that your dentist may use on a crown can vary depending on the type of crown and factors related to the environment within the mouth. Regardless, the cement is meant to be permanent, but that doesn’t always mean the crown will stay in place forever since many things can affect it.
Generally, a crown is said to last for about 10 or so years. However, some factors can contribute to a crown coming out (but are not limited to):
- If the tooth underneath the crown becomes decayed- Just because a tooth has a crown does not mean it is no longer susceptible to decay; this is possible!
- If the cement was faulty- Sometimes the environment (humidity) isn’t ideal for permanent cement while be prepared or part of the mixture could have been a bad batch
- If the crown was broken off by wear and tear- Eating sticky and hard foods can tamper with a crown over the years if done repeatedly
- If the tooth structure was too small to hold onto the crown- for back teeth like molars that chew foods and contain a lot of force they can wear down giving the crown a hard time to hold on
- If the tooth was repeatedly put under stress- Grinding and clenching the teeth can put force on teeth causing the bond that holds the crown in place to become affected
If you find yourself in a bind with your crown this Thanksgiving dinner and it came off while eating, do not panic! Situations like this are possible and it could be very well be a minor fix. As you now know, crowns can loosen for various reasons so just because you took a bite of a soft sweet potato casserole, this doesn’t mean this is what primarily caused your crown to come off.
What you can do in the meantime is try to stay away from extremely hot or cold temperature foods that could cause sensitivity to that tooth area. You can also purchase an over the counter tooth cement at the pharmacy or denture adhesive, which can help to keep the crown in place. However, do not use glues as these are harmful to put in the mouth and could cause damage to the tooth and crown.
Contact Us As Soon As Possible
What is highly recommended is that you call Costa Family and Cosmetic Dentistry right away! They offer emergency appointments and would be more than happy to schedule you for a visit as soon as possible in order to properly assess your crown.