Root Canal and Crown Fell Out! Now What?

After the age of 13, most of us have lost our baby teeth. So you can imagine it is quite alarming when you’re 30 and a tooth falls out. It is highly unlikely that a whole natural tooth falls out at this age but it does happen sometimes for adults that they lose their crown, post, and root canal.

We usually tell patients not to be alarmed when something like this comes off. While crowns falling off is not a good thing, It is usually because there is a bigger problem going on such as the crown has been leaking and now there is more decay. It’s honestly better to have that problem exposed before it turns into an infection or starts to affect other teeth around it. If you ever have this happen to you, be sure to call your dentist right away!

Make An Appointment With Your Dentist

Your dentist will want to see you as soon as possible to take a look and see what is going on. He will likely ask you questions about symptoms that you have noticed, take an x-ray, and also look in your mouth to gather information about what to do next. 

In most cases, losing your root canal and post will lead to an extraction. Once these things have been lost and decay is cleaned up around these areas, it is likely that there is not much to be saved. Most dentists will refer to an oral surgeon for this type of extraction.

What’s Next?

Well, the good news is that you won’t have to live with a hole in your mouth forever. Once the extraction site heals up an implant can be placed if you are a good candidate for one. An implant is a long-term solution for replacing this tooth. While it does involve surgery and some more healing time, it is a great option for most people.

Can’t I Just Leave The Broken Tooth How It Is?

The remaining remnants of the tooth may not seem bothersome to you now especially since this tooth had a root canal. It’s not a good idea to leave this fragmented tooth in your mouth because it can harbor bacteria. This bacteria can cause more decay, stinky breath, and even gum disease. 

Since the tooth is broken off, you won’t be using it for chewing. It really won’t serve many purposes for you at all and often when things like this are left in the mouth they seem to have a way of causing problems at the worst times. In these cases, we definitely recommend having it extracted so that you can replace the tooth with an implant if you choose. 

What Is The Best Way Of Preventing This From Happening?

One of the best ways to prevent your root canal and post from completely coming out is to keep up with routine dental checkups. Often there are some warning signs that something is going on with your tooth before this happens. In routine check-ups, we monitor your teeth by:

• Clinical examination – we examine your tooth with our eyes and check the margins to make sure the root is solid.
• Radiographs- x-rays help us to see what is going on around and under your crown. Decay can be seen on an x-ray in areas that we can’t clinically view with our eyes.
• Routine cleaning appointments – Bacteria like to build up and cause problems in your mouth. Routine cleanings help to keep your restorations in good shape.

Has it been a while since you’ve been to the dentist? Don’t wait any longer, call us today and we can get you scheduled!