When a dental crown breaks or gets badly damaged the overall situation obviously turns alarming suddenly. But there is no reason to press on the panic button while facing such situation, warns a restorative dentistry expert based in London. There is no need to panic because there exist more ways than one to sort out the problem. You can even fix it temporarily on your own DIY at home.
The many options that exist in fixing a broken dental crown include the following –
- Cementing the restoration again provided it is still intact
- Bonding the broken dental restoration
- Replacing the broken dental crown with an onlay
- Replacing the damaged crown with a fresh or new one
- Going for tooth extraction and then filling up the empty socket with dental implant
Lastly you need the expertise of a qualified dentist to fix a broken crown. Without the intervention of a dentist it is not possible to fix a crown. But first it is important to explore the causes that damage crowns.
Factors that damage dental crowns
A dental crown may get damaged in the same ways as a natural tooth which include the following possibilities –
- An accidental fall
- A severe blow to the face
- Biting down on something hard like certain meat preparations, ice cube and others
- Grinding the teeth
- Even normal wear and tear over a period of time may damage your dental crown requiring its repair
Crowns for the teeth are not unbreakable or impervious although they easily last for years together depending on where one is placed in your mouth. The average life of crowns is quite long and they easily last up to ten to fifteen years explain professionals. Who deal with the service of emergency crown repair. After serving for decades the range of dental restorations may require a replacement.
The level of damage your crown suffers
Whether a crown can be repaired or replaced also depend on the type and the level of damage it sustains. It could also be possible that the neighbouring teeth in the mouth. Which are also damaged to some extent or the other because of the same cause that damaged your crown.
Different types of damages that dental crowns usually suffer are as following –
- Hairline fracture
- Cracking
- Chipping and
- Breakage
Hairline fracture
A very thin crack may have appeared on the dental restoration which is honestly hard to notice for those who are not associated with the dental profession. This type of damages is usually noticed when you visit your dentist. The good thing about hairline fracture is it is easy to repair and your dental crown does not require any replacement.
Cracking
It is quite easy to identify any major crack along the horizon or the vertices of any crown.
Chipping
A small or a large portion of the dental crown has come loose or broken off.
Breakage
In this type of damage a dental crown may scatter to pieces. Even if it is not scattered to pieces and still is in one piece the restoration as if is just about to fall off and obviously you cannot expect it to be functional in this condition any longer.
A broken or damaged dental crown – what you can do before seeing a dentist
The first thing you need to understand about a broken crown is it is not a case of dental emergency unless ofcourse its jagged edges are clinging on to the tooth or could pierce through the soft tissues in your cheek and the tongue. Thus in the normal conditions of a broken crown you can tackle the situation yourself till you find time to see your dentist explains professionals who deal with emergency dental repair in London. These are the following things you can do in these situations –
- Assess the damage the dental restoration has sustained
- Try to determine whether the crown has fallen off or it is still in its place – for this you have to take a close look at the mirror
- Slowly and carefully run your finger along the tooth to find out any jagged edge
In case you find the crown not jagged but at the same time it is not properly attached to your tooth as it should, just pull it off to make sure you do not swallow it accidentally. However if you have swallowed it there is nothing to worry about. The dental restoration will pass through your stomach smoothly and get eliminated out of your body with causing any internal problem.
After your assessment is over rinse the mouth well with warm water. This helps getting rid of the tiny crown fragments that could be present in the mouth. If the dental restoration still appears intact you can reattach it to your tooth temporarily although that depends on your discretion.
Leading orthodontics for children explains the best age to get your braces
Before reattaching it to the tooth it is better to clean the crown a little inside and out using any gentle toothpaste. According to trained and skilled professionals who deal with tooth crowns in London light brushing also proves helpful clearing away any debris or the existing cement from previous restoration.
Now place a tiny dab of your regular toothpaste or temporary dental cement on the crown and try attaching it to the tooth. It is crucial that the restoration is fitted correctly otherwise it may damage the tooth and even the neighbouring teeth.
Once you have come this far now you should get in touch with your dentist and inform the expert about the entire chain of development before booking an appointment to fix the crown professionally.
Fixing a damaged or broken crown – options you have
In order to fix your problem of broken or damaged crown your dentist is likely to offer you any of these following options –
- Tooth bonding or dental bonding
- A replacement crown
- A dental onlay
- Re-cementing of the existing crown
- A dental implant
Tooth bonding or dental bonding
Bonding of the tooth is painless as well as fast procedure. It involves a dentist applying a composite resin to the damaged dental crown and hen mould it to repair the damage. Lastly the resin is dried under a UV light. The colour of the composite resin is matched with that of our tooth to make sure here is no disparity in the appearance of your teeth.
A replacement crown
If the existing crown is too badly damaged that it is beyond repairing then a replacement crown is obviously necessary.
A dental onlay
Dental onlays are also referred to as partial dental crowns. Thus an onlay is a reliable alternative to a new dental crown.
Re-cementing of the existing crown
In case your crown is still not much damaged and has only fallen off from its position then it is possible o fix it to the tooth again explain experts who deal with repairing dental crowns in London. However before re-cementing or reattaching to the tooth it must be cleansed and properly diagnosed by a dentist.
A dental implant
This option come up seldom; when the crowned tooth is found to be severely weakened or decayed that attaching a new crown is impossible then dentists of Emergency Dentist London Pro go for extraction of the tooth and place a tooth implant.