Lost Filling or Crown in Lawrenceville, NJ

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water, find the crown or filling if you can and keep a crown in a clean container. Chew on the other side, then call Deluxe Dentistry & Esthetics: lost fillings and crowns are seen the same day.

Don’t use superglue or household glue. A drugstore cement only covers the gap for a short time and can make the crown harder to reseat, so the better move is a same-day visit.

Yes, carefully. Choose soft, lukewarm food, chew on the other side and skip hard, sticky or very sugary food until the tooth is covered again.

New decay under the edge, cement that has worn away, biting something hard, grinding at night or an old restoration reaching the end of its life. Digital x-rays show which it was, so the right repair is chosen.

If you’re coughing, wheezing or having trouble breathing, it may have gone into your airway: go to the ER now. If you feel fine, call the office so the tooth can be covered again.

No. A crown loose enough to move can be swallowed or inhaled in your sleep. Remove it gently, keep it in a container and bring it in.

Don’t pick the tooth out of the crown or try to put it back. Bring both in; Dr. Godko checks what’s left of the tooth with x-rays and rebuilds it.

Sudden sensitivity in one tooth, a rough or sharp edge your tongue keeps finding, food catching in the same spot, a dark line around the filling or pain when you bite. Have it checked before it falls out.

Don’t try to reseat it yourself. Bring it in and avoid chewing on that side; implant crowns are repaired in-house. See dental implant emergencies.

Keep it and bring it in. A loose bridge is re-cemented or replaced, and a veneer that came off can be rebonded when it’s intact.

Often, yes. A post and core rebuilds the tooth so a new crown has something to hold. If the tooth can’t be saved, its replacement is planned at the same visit.

Yes. Your new crown is placed the same day, made from all-ceramic material matched to the teeth beside it, with no dark line at the gum.

No. If enough healthy tooth remains, a new tooth-colored filling or an inlay or onlay restores it. A crown is chosen when decay or cracks have left the walls of the tooth too thin to hold a filling.

Yes, when the gap is large. An inlay or onlay restores strength while keeping more natural tooth than a crown, and it costs less than a crown.

Brush gently with a soft brush, floss carefully around the tooth and rinse with warm salt water after meals so food doesn’t pack into the gap.

The inner layer of the tooth is exposed to air, temperature and food. It’s a sign to cover it quickly, before decay or a crack sets in.

Yes. Without it, the opposite tooth can hit an exposed or sharp surface and feel sore, and teeth can drift into the gap over time. Covering the tooth promptly keeps your bite where it belongs.

It can. Without its cover, bacteria and food reach the softer inner layer, decay moves faster, and if it reaches the nerve, the tooth can become infected. Covering it promptly prevents that.

Come in promptly. A root-canal-treated tooth can be brittle, and without its crown it can break or let bacteria back into the canals. The tooth is checked and covered again the same day.

Brush and floss around it, keep your regular cleanings, don’t open packages with your teeth and wear a custom night guard if you grind.

Keep it in a clean container and chew on the other side. You can leave a message at either office any time: emergency messages are handled first when the office opens. On Saturdays, the Lawrenceville, NJ office is open 9 am–2 pm.

Yes. Deluxe Dentistry & Esthetics has two offices, in Lawrenceville, NJ and Skillman, NJ, and every procedure is available at both offices.

The crown, or any piece of the filling you found, in a clean container or sealed bag, plus your insurance card if you have dental insurance.

Yes: book online anytime at www.deluxedentistry.com/schedule-appointment. You can also call (609) 400-1393 or (609) 303-2005 during office hours.