If you are camping or doing something else that has you out in a rural area for an extended period of time and you end up losing a crown, then you aren't going to have fast and easy access to a dentist. You will want to know what to do until you get back to town and are able to see a dentist. Here are things you want to know if this has happened to you:
Collect the crown
If you have lost a crown, then the first thing you are going to want to do is to find it. In many cases, this may be easy because the crown may have fallen out in your mouth or right in front of you. However, in other cases, this may not be the case. If you lose a crown while involved in an activity that has knocked it out, then you may have to spend some time looking for it. If the crown is still fully intact and doesn't show any signs of damage, then there is a chance the dentist will be able to put it back in. This will help save you some money, as a new crown won't need to be made.
Keep your mouth clean
You want to be sure you keep your mouth clean and keep in mind that your damaged tooth is fully exposed and will remain that way until you are able to get in to see a dentist. It will be vulnerable during this period.
Be careful of what you eat
You are going to want to make sure the foods that you eat are soft. You want to stay away from harder foods because they can cause more damage to your unprotected tooth. Things like tortilla chips and other hard foods can cause more of the damaged tooth to break away, and this can leave you in bad pain for the duration of your trip. You are also going to want to stay away from sticky and sugary foods, such as things like s'mores.
See the dentist as soon as possible
As soon as you are back in town, you are going to want to get in to see the dentist. The sooner you are able to get in to see the dentist, the less chances there will be of causing more damage to your tooth and the sooner you will once again have a crown on it.
Contact a family dentist to learn more.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.