How do you look after a temporary crown?
Look after a temporary crown by chewing mainly on the other side, avoiding sticky and very hard food, brushing it gently and sliding floss out sideways instead of lifting it up. Mild sensitivity is common. If it comes off, keep it and call the dentist so it can be re-cemented. At Creative Arts in Dubai, most single temporaries are worn while the lab in our building makes the final crown, typically three to five working days.
Who treats you here Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Kinan Bonni Dentist · Dr. Marina Antoniuk Dentist
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What is a temporary crown for?
When a tooth is prepared for a crown, a thin layer is removed from all round it, exposing dentine that is sensitive to temperature and vulnerable to bacteria. The final crown is then made in a laboratory, and the temporary crown (also called a provisional crown) covers the tooth in the meantime. It has several jobs:
- protecting the prepared tooth and reducing sensitivity;
- stopping the neighbouring and opposite teeth from drifting into the space, which would stop the final crown fitting;
- keeping the gum around the tooth healthy and in shape;
- letting you chew carefully, speak and smile normally.
It is usually made from a tooth-coloured resin material and fixed with a temporary cement that is designed to let go when the dentist removes it. That is why it needs a little more care than a permanent crown. Our guide to the dental crown procedure explains where the temporary fits into the visits.
What can you eat with a temporary crown?
Most food is fine if you chew mainly on the other side. These are the ones that cause most problems.
| Generally fine | Take care | Best avoided until the final crown |
|---|---|---|
| Rice, pasta, soup, eggs, fish, yoghurt, hummus | Bread with a crust; cut it small and chew on the other side | Toffee, caramel and chewing gum, which can pull the temporary off |
| Cooked vegetables, soft fruit | Meat; cut it small | Dates and other very sticky dried fruit |
| Lukewarm drinks | Hot and iced drinks if the tooth is sensitive | Nuts, hard sweets and ice, which can crack it |
| Tea and coffee in moderation | Strongly coloured drinks and food if the temporary is on a front tooth | Biting hard food with a front temporary, such as an apple or corn on the cob |
A temporary is often slightly more prone to staining than ceramic. Any discolouration goes when it is replaced by the final crown.
How do you clean around a temporary crown?
Keeping the gum around the temporary clean matters, because healthy gum makes the final crown easier to fit and helps it seal well. Brush twice a day as usual with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste, paying gentle attention to the gum line around the temporary.
Flossing is where temporaries most often come off. Slide the floss down between the teeth as normal, but to remove it, let go of one end and pull it out sideways rather than lifting it back up through the contact, which can catch the edge of the temporary and lift it. Interdental brushes and a water flosser are gentle alternatives. If the gum is a little sore or bleeds at first, keep cleaning; it usually settles within days.
Is it normal for a tooth to be sensitive with a temporary crown?
Some sensitivity to cold, air or sweet food is common. A temporary does not seal as tightly as the final crown, and the cement used is weaker, so temperature reaches the prepared dentine more easily. The gum can also be sore for a day or two from the preparation.
Lukewarm food and drink, a toothpaste for sensitive teeth and over-the-counter pain relief, taken as directed on the label or by your pharmacist, usually help. Sensitivity that is getting worse, a tooth that throbs or wakes you at night, or pain when you bite, are worth a call. Biting pain often means the temporary sits slightly high, which is a quick adjustment.
Your final crown is designed and made by the laboratory in our building, then tried in and adjusted before it is fixed. See how crowns are planned at Creative Arts in Dubai.
Dental crownsWhat should you do if your temporary crown falls off?
Temporaries are designed to come off easily, so this is common and rarely urgent. What matters is not leaving the tooth uncovered for long, because it can become sensitive and the teeth around it can shift within days.
- Keep the temporary. Rinse it and keep it in a clean container. Most can simply be re-cemented.
- Call the clinic during opening hours, 10:00 to 20:00 every day, so it can be refitted.
- If you cannot be seen the same day, temporary dental cement from a pharmacy can hold it for a short time. Check that it seats fully and your bite feels normal before using cement, use only a little, and clean away the excess.
- Never use superglue or household adhesive.
- If the temporary has broken or been lost, keep the tooth clean, avoid chewing on it and tell the clinic.
If you swallowed the temporary while eating and feel well, it usually passes without harm. If you coughed or choked when it came off, or have coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing, seek medical help immediately. For a permanent crown that has come off, see what to do if a crown falls off.
How long do you wear a temporary crown?
It depends on what the final restoration involves. These are typical situations; your plan will say which applies to you.
| Situation | Typical time with a temporary | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single crown on a healthy tooth | Usually about a week | Laboratory time is typically three to five working days, then the fitting visit |
| Crown after root canal treatment | Similar, once the root canal is complete | The tooth is prepared and scanned after the root canal and core |
| Temporary bridge after an extraction | Often several weeks or longer | The gum is usually left to heal before the final bridge is made |
| Several crowns or a full-mouth plan | Weeks, sometimes longer | Temporaries may be used to test the bite and shape before the final work |
| Implant crown | Varies with healing | The final crown is fitted once the implant has integrated, typically after three to six months |
A temporary is not designed to last months longer than planned. If your final appointment is delayed, ask whether the temporary needs checking.
Why doesn't a temporary crown look like the final one?
A temporary is made quickly from a simpler material, so its shade, translucency and surface are only an approximation. It may look slightly bulkier, flatter or a different colour from your other teeth. That tells you nothing about how the final crown will look.
The final crown is designed digitally and finished in the laboratory for colour and surface texture, and at Creative Arts the ceramist can see your teeth in person when a careful shade match is needed. Our guide to custom shade matching explains how. For front teeth, a temporary can still be useful as a preview of length and shape; tell your dentist what you like or dislike about it. The same idea applies to temporary veneers.
When should you call the dentist, and when is it urgent?
Call the clinic during opening hours if:
- the temporary is loose, has come off, or has cracked;
- it feels high when you bite, or your bite feels different;
- sensitivity is getting worse, or the tooth throbs or wakes you;
- the gum around it is swollen or there is a bad taste.
Go to a hospital emergency department straight away for facial swelling with fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading to the eye or neck, bleeding that will not stop, or a head or face injury. Creative Arts is not a 24-hour service. Once the final crown is fitted, mild sensitivity for a few days is common; our guide to pain after a new crown explains what is normal. At Creative Arts, crowns are planned and fitted by Dr. Khalid Saeed, Dr. Kinan Bonni and Dr. Marina Antoniuk.