Temporary Crown Care: What to Do Between Appointments

Temporary crowns are typically made from a more basic acrylic or composite resin material, quick to fabricate chairside during your appointment, since they only need to function adequately for the relatively short period until your custom, lab-fabricated permanent crown is ready.

Beyond simply covering the prepared tooth for appearance, a temporary crown protects the sensitive, exposed tooth structure underneath, maintains the space and your bite alignment so neighboring and opposing teeth don't shift during the waiting period, and provides basic function for eating and speaking in the meantime.

Sticky or chewy foods, like caramel or gum, can pull a temporary crown loose. Very hard foods, like ice or hard candy, can crack or dislodge it. Being generally cautious about chewing directly and forcefully on that specific tooth, favoring the other side when possible, helps reduce the risk of problems during this temporary period.

Yes, some difference in feel, and sometimes a slightly less precise fit compared to what your final crown will offer, is expected and normal, since the temporary is a functional placeholder rather than the precisely customized final restoration.

Contact your dentist's office promptly, since leaving the prepared tooth exposed for an extended period can cause sensitivity and, in some cases, allow the tooth to shift slightly, which could affect how well your final crown fits. In the meantime, if you still have the temporary crown, you can sometimes use temporary dental cement, available at pharmacies, to reattach it until you're seen, following the product's specific instructions.

Yes, given the less durable material, this can happen, particularly with hard or sticky foods, and if it occurs, contacting your dentist to have it repaired or replaced promptly, rather than leaving the tooth exposed, is the appropriate response.

Some mild sensitivity, particularly to temperature, is common with a temporary crown, since it doesn't seal the tooth as precisely as a final, custom-fitted crown will, making this a generally expected, though sometimes mildly uncomfortable, part of the temporary period.

Regular brushing continues as normal, though flossing requires a bit more care — rather than pulling the floss up and out through the contact point, which risks dislodging the temporary crown, sliding the floss out sideways instead helps avoid accidentally pulling the temporary off during your normal hygiene routine.

This generally isn't recommended, both because a temporary crown material won't whiten the same way natural teeth do, and because your dentist will want to finalize your natural tooth shade before your permanent crown is fabricated to ensure proper color matching, making this a reasonable thing to postpone until after your permanent crown is placed.

Most temporary crowns are designed to comfortably last a few weeks, aligning with typical lab fabrication timelines for permanent crowns, though waiting significantly longer than planned increases the risk of the temporary loosening, breaking, or the tooth shifting slightly in ways that could affect your permanent crown's fit.

Your dentist removes the temporary crown, checks your prepared tooth, tries in the permanent crown to verify fit, color, and bite, makes any needed adjustments, and then permanently cements the final crown in place, completing the process.