A loose dental crown can feel suspiciously like a loose tooth. It can jiggle, it can feel uncomfortable and it can seem almost impossible to not prod it with your tongue. With a loose baby tooth, all you generally need to do is wait, and it will fall out by itself. A loose permanent tooth is a different story, and urgent dental intervention can be necessary to save it. But what about when a dental crown is loose? The crown is just the covering that has encased the tooth, and the tooth itself might be just fine. Still, it's an issue that needs to be examined by your dentist as soon as you can manage it since it's not something that is going to repair itself!
Internal or External?
The reasons for a dental crown loosening its grip can be internal or external. You're likely to be aware of any external reasons, since an accident that results in a sharp blow to your mouth has the potential to damage any of your teeth, including the ones that might be encased in a dental crown. The age of the crown should also be taken into consideration, and the dental cement holding it in place might have lost its strength. There could also have been changes to the tooth underneath the crown, and if it has begun to decay or been affected by another periodontal issue, this is another reason why the crown can have lost its grip on the tooth.
It Can Be Uncomfortable
It's wise to get to a dentist who can attend to dental crowns in your area as soon possible. It might not feel like an emergency, but a loose dental crown can be uncomfortable. This is especially true if any dental pulp (the nerves inside each of your teeth) has been exposed. No matter how uncomfortable it is, don't attempt to pull the loose dental crown off since you can easily accidentally damage the tooth it's attached to.
Try to avoid hard and/or sticky foods when a crown is loose, and if possible, use the other side of your mouth to chew. It can be difficult but try to refrain from poking the loose crown with your tongue. You might not even realise that you're doing this, and it can require a fair amount of willpower to avoid!
Reattaching the Crown
If there isn't anything wrong with the dental crown itself (although it could conceivably be cracked if it became loose after an accident), your dentist should be able to cement it back into place. Be wary of those dental cement kits you can buy yourself, because the permanent reattachment of a crown requires the professional precision of a dentist, and is certainly not a DIY job. Your dentist can also remove the crown in its entirety to check the tooth underneath to make sure all is well.
A loose dental crown can be uncomfortable, but it's usually not a major issue for your dentist to cement it back into place.
For many years, I hated the way my teeth looked. They always looked discoloured so I would do everything I could to hide my smile. On family photos, my mom would always complain that I never gave a grin like my brothers and sisters. When I graduated college, I decided I needed to take action. I contacted my local dental surgery and asked them about tooth whitening treatments. The dentist was great and gave me all of the info I needed. After the treatment, my smile was like a million dollars. I decided to start this blog to educate others about the benefits of teeth whitening and other dental treatments.