Lost a Filling or Crown? What to Do Until You're Seen

It usually happens at an inconvenient moment: mid-meal, often with something chewy, and frequently on a Friday evening. A crown comes off, or a filling drops out, and you are left holding a small piece of dentistry and wondering how serious this is.

The reassuring part: this is rarely a genuine emergency. The tooth may be sensitive and it needs attention reasonably soon, but it is not usually in the same category as a knocked-out tooth or facial swelling. This article covers what to do in the meantime. It is general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice about your situation.

First: keep the crown

If a crown has come off in one piece, keep it. Rinse it, dry it, and put it somewhere safe: a small container rather than loose in a pocket or wrapped in tissue, which is how they get thrown out.

A crown that is intact, and a tooth underneath that is sound, can sometimes be recemented. That is a considerably simpler and less expensive appointment than making a new one. Whether it is possible depends on why it came off in the first place, but you cannot recement a crown that went in the bin.

Bring it with you even if it looks damaged. It is useful for assessing what happened.

Look at what came out

You can often tell a little from what you are holding, and it helps to describe it when you call:

• A hollow crown, clean inside: often means the cement gave way and the tooth beneath may be largely intact. This is the most straightforwardly fixable version.
• A crown with tooth material inside it: part of the tooth has come away with it. More complicated, and the tooth needs assessing before anything is recemented.
• A small piece of filling: usually less urgent, though the remaining tooth may have a sharp edge or be sensitive.
• A post attached to the crown: the metal or fibre post that was anchoring it into the root has come out too. This one warrants a prompt appointment.

Protecting the tooth in the meantime

The exposed tooth is usually more vulnerable and often sensitive, particularly to cold and sweet things. Sensible steps:

• Chew on the other side. The most useful single thing you can do.
• Keep it clean. Brush gently as normal. The area still needs cleaning, and skipping it makes matters worse.
• Avoid sticky and hard foods on that side: chewing gum, toffee, crusty bread, nuts.
• Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy can protect a sensitive tooth for a short period. It is a stopgap, not a repair, and should not be used to stick a crown back permanently.
• Do not use household glue. This genuinely happens, and it can make the tooth unrestorable. Nothing from the toolbox belongs in your mouth.
• Sensitive-teeth toothpaste may help with cold sensitivity in the interim.

If a sharp edge is cutting your tongue or cheek, orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum pressed over it can help temporarily until you are seen.

How quickly you need an appointment

Reasonably soon, but this is usually a matter of days rather than hours. Reasons to make it sooner:

• significant pain rather than mild sensitivity
• a post that has come out with the crown
• a front tooth, where appearance is a factor
• a sharp edge that is causing trouble
• an exposed tooth that is visibly dark or has a hole in it

Reasons to treat it as urgent (the same day if possible) are pain that is severe or worsening, facial swelling, or fever. Those point to something beyond a lost restoration. Our articles on whether a toothache is an emergency and what to do in a dental emergency cover how to judge that.

The tooth is more vulnerable while unprotected: it can decay faster, and a weakened wall can fracture. Leaving it for months tends to convert a recementing job into something larger.

Why crowns come off

Understanding the cause helps with the conversation about what happens next:

• Cement failure over time. Cement does not last forever, particularly on older crowns.
• Decay at the margin. If decay has undermined the join, the crown loses its grip. This is the most common reason a crown cannot simply be put back.
• Fracture of the tooth underneath.
• A short or tapered preparation giving the crown limited surface to hold onto.
• Grinding or clenching, which loads restorations heavily. Our article on how long crowns last and what affects it covers this.
• Sticky food: usually the final straw rather than the underlying cause.

If a crown comes off repeatedly, the underlying reason needs addressing rather than just re-cementing it each time.

Getting seen in Canberra

We keep urgent slots free each day at our Braddon practice, and we are open from 7:30am on weekdays and 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturdays. Being on Northbourne Avenue with light rail at the door makes us reachable from Civic, Turner, Dickson and the inner north without needing to park.

Calling on the day is better than booking online for anything painful: describe what happened and what came out, and the front desk can judge the urgency properly. Our emergency dentistry page sets out how we handle urgent appointments.

If you are new to Canberra and have not yet found a dentist (a common position given Braddon runs at around 60 per cent renters with a median age of 30, and Civic at around 62 per cent on the 2021 Census), a lost crown is a perfectly ordinary reason for a first visit. You do not need an existing relationship with a practice to be seen.

Emergency dental care at Dental Embassy

Dental Embassy is on Northbourne Avenue in Braddon, close to Civic and the inner north, with urgent appointment slots kept free each day.

You can read more on our emergency dentistry page, call us on 1300 000 230, or get in touch.