What to Do if a Crown Falls Out

The materials your crown is made from are designed to be very durable. However, there are a few things such as a fall, blow to the face or chronic gum disease that can loosen the cement holding a crown in place or damage the abutment.

If one of your crowns is knocked out, falls out or breaks off you need to call your dentist as soon as possible. They can help you determine the best course of action and schedule an appointment to help resolve the problem in a timely manner. Left unchecked the problem could quickly become something serious.

If for some reason you can’t immediately contact your dentist, there are a few things to keep in mind.

You need to resist the temptation to clean the crown or the abutment. Any cleaning should be left to your dentist. Cleaning it could accidentally cause even more damage. If the crown was knocked out because of an injury or blow to the face, you can clean your mouth of blood or debris by gently rinsing with lukewarm saltwater. Don’t rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash as this could irritate gum tissues and cause pain to the exposed abutment.

If the crown fell out due to bacteria weakening the cement holding it to the abutment, you should still see the abutment sticking out from your gums. It will look like a small nub of a tooth or dull gray metal. The crown itself should also be hollow. In this situation, your dentist will often cement the crown back into place.

If the abutment is damaged or has broken off at the gum line you should see some or all of it inside the crown. In a situation like this, the dentist will usually perform a root canal to restore enough structure to cement the crown back in place.

If you have a damaged, or broken crown has you should call us as soon as possible at 763-561-7000 to schedule an appointment.