A vacation should be a time for fun and adventure, but if the dental crown on top of your tooth falls out while you are far away from your dentist, it could quickly turn into a moment of despair. Your tooth could become very sensitive to cold and hot temperatures, and it can hurt to eat and drink certain foods you were looking forward to eating during your vacation. Your dentist should be the one to permanently glue the crown back into place, but you can temporarily glue it back to the tooth to ease your discomfort. If your dental crown breaks off one of your teeth while you are on vacation and you can't get to your dentist right away, here is how you can temporarily reattach the crown to your tooth.

Check for Damage

You want to check your tooth and crown for damage that might have caused the crown to break off. If you don't see any damage, you should be able to glue the crown back onto the tooth. However, if you see damage to the crown or tooth, it won't be as easy to glue it to the tooth and you'll probably have to wait until you see your dentist, or find a reputable dentist wherever you are vacationing to get it fixed.

Clean Tooth and Crown

You should brush and clean your tooth and crown to remove any food particles or other debris stuck to them. Carefully scrape off as much cement as you can from the underside of the crown and top of the tooth with a pair of tweezers or a toothpick.

Dry Crown and Tooth

The saliva in your mouth can interfere with the ability of the cement to stick the crown and tooth, so it's important to dry the crown and tooth as much as you can. The crown you can just let air dry, but your tooth will need help. Take an absorbent sterile pad and pat your tooth dry. Then stick a pad between your gums and tooth so it can absorb any saliva your mouth might generate. Breathe in and out with your mouth open to help the tooth dry.

Cement Crown

Make sure you buy dental cement that is safe to use in your mouth. Fit the crown onto the tooth before you apply the cement so you know how it goes on. Place a little dab of cement on the underside of the crown and place the crown over the tooth. Bite down to firmly set the crown in place. The crown should easily last until you come back from your vacation and can see your regular dentist and have the crown permanently repaired.

Contact a centre like Dental Services Franklin Dental Centre for more help.