How to Temporarily Fix a Dental Crown
When a tooth becomes so decayed that it cannot hold a filling or if it gets chipped or shattered, a crown will often be used to mimic and recreate the shape of the original tooth. The crown is formed to your tooth shape and attached with powerful dental cement, which allows the crown to function like your real tooth. Sometimes, however, your crown may fall out or break off your tooth, in which case, you should fix it temporarily and visit a dentist for repairs as soon as possible.
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Instructions
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Clean the crown area of your mouth with a soft toothbrush, including the gums around the tooth and within the tooth itself. You should also clean inside the crown if you still have it.
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Dry the entire cleaned area thoroughly with a cotton swab. Clean the tooth again if you find any food matter while drying it.
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Mix the crown cement from the dental repair kit in a small cup and quickly spread it on the tooth where the crown rests. Work as fast as you can without making mistakes as the cement can set in one minute.
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Press the crown from the dentist or the replacement crown from the kit onto the cement and press it in place. Clean away the excess cement with a cotton swab.
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Let the cement dry for five minutes before eating, drinking or putting pressure on the repaired crown.
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Tips & Warnings
Try not to eat very sticky or tough foods that may cause the crown to become separated from the cement until you get the tooth fixed by a dentist.
Do not perform the temporary repair on your crown more than once or you may allow an infection to get into the nerve of the tooth.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
