What should I do if the crown is broken or has fallen out? | Crown for an incisor

What should I do if the crown is broken or has fallen out?

If the incisor crown has broken off or fallen out, you can see the small tooth stump that is left of your own tooth. Most people find this very unpleasant. Furthermore, the tooth is then not protected from external stimuli.

It is more sensitive and more at risk of damage than other teeth. Therefore a visit to the dentist should be arranged directly. The dentist will decide on the further procedure.

If the old crown is still in place, it may be possible to replace it with cement. Sometimes the tooth is already very badly damaged. Then either a new crown has to be made or the extraction (tooth removal) is necessary. Under no circumstances should you try to reattach the crown on your own with superglue or similar. This does more harm than good, as further treatment is made more difficult or completely impossible.

Crown or implant?

Whether a crown can still be cemented on the incisor or whether an implant must be placed depends entirely on the individual situation. In general, however, it is advantageous to preserve your own tooth structure as best as possible. The reason for this is that the bone is better preserved by your own teeth.

Pulling a tooth always causes bone resorption at the same place. In addition, it is not unusual for the bone around an implant to degrade more quickly over the years than around a natural tooth. It is absolutely necessary to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages carefully!If a doctor vehemently insists on placing an implant instead of a crown, a second opinion should always be obtained to avoid making a wrong decision.

Pain after the treatment

It is not uncommon for the crowning of an incisor to be initially associated with pain. It can happen that the gums around the tooth are irritated and bleed easily due to the preparation. This is caused by the drill, which occasionally hits the mucosa.

However, this pain disappears within a week. Sometimes the pain also comes directly from the tooth. It is a strong pulling, which is caused by chewing hard food or by thermal stimuli.

In most cases this symptom disappears again within a short time. In the ideal case, the dentist waits until the tooth is painless before inserting it. For the transitional period, a temporary cement is used.

If the symptoms still persist, the tooth can be definitively inserted and then a root canal treatment can be performed. In this case the preparation was very close to the pulp and caused inflammation. It is not reversible and can only be treated by a root canal treatment.

Even after the crown has been in place for a long time, pain can still occur. If it lasts longer or recurs repeatedly, the dentist should take care of it. Caries under the crown or an inflammation of the pulp could be the cause.