What to Do With a Chipped Dental Crown

If you notice your dental crown is chipped or cracked, you might be wondering what to do next.

Is a chipped dental crown a big deal or even a dental emergency? Can you do anything to try and fix it at home?

Check out this short blog post to learn the steps you need to take if you ever chip a dental crown:
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1. Stay Calm and Assess the Damage 

First, a chipped dental crown is always a cause for alarm. But to know your next steps, you should first calmly inspect the crown to see the full extent of the damage. 

Some things to look for include:

• Obvious signs of bleeding
• Tooth-swelling
• Any pain
• How large the chip is
• If the tooth underneath is exposed, etc.
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2. Call Dr. Julia Hill

Once you assess your crown’s condition, you can reach out to Dr. Julia Hill at Breeze Dental by calling (380) 228-2770 for more help.

If you’re dealing with any extreme symptoms like pain or bleeding, Dr. Hill will want to see you right away for an emergency dental appointment. 

But in most cases, chipped dental crowns can wait until regular hours. Based on your condition Dr. Hill may offer some tips on how to care for the crown until your appointment, which can include:

• Removing the crown if it’s loose to avoid swallowing it.
• Eating on the other side of the mouth
• Tips on how to keep the area clean
• Taking OTC pain medication if you have minor pain and swelling, etc.
   

3. Don’t Skip Your Appointment 

Once the panic wears off, you might see that the chipped crown is not as big of a deal as you first believed.

While it can feel tempting to now ignore the problem, you should still come to your dental appointment if even the damage doesn’t seem too bad. 

Dental crowns are supposed to protect the natural tooth lying underneath. A chipped crown might not be able to do that.

During your appointment, Dr. Hill will attempt to fix the crown in one of the following ways:

• Dental bonding
• Onlays (partial crowns)
• Recementing the crown
• Drilling to smooth its edges, etc.

However, some chipped crowns are impossible to repair, in which case your best option is to simply replace them with new ones.

Dr. Hill can take an impression of your tooth, send it to the lab right there during your consultation, and provide a temporary crown to restore the tooth until the replacement is ready.
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Dealing with a Chipped Tooth? Reach out to Breeze Dental Today

If you chipped your dental crown, Dr. Julia Hill is here to help you fix the problem swiftly.

Call us at (380) 228-2770 for emergency dental care if your chipped crown is causing high levels of discomfort. 

You may also request a regular visit to Breeze Dental using our online form here.