How Many Times Can You Get a Crown Replaced?

Woman smiling after dental crown in Minneapolis
December 1, 2022

You had a dental crown done on your back teeth a few years ago, but now your dentist tells you it needs to be replaced. How many times can one do it before they can’t replace it anymore, and how does the dentist remove it for replacement?

How Often Should you Replace a Dental Crown?

There’s no length of time that one needs to wait to replace a crown. One should only do a dental crown replacement if there is something is not with it, such as these reasons:

  • Receding gum line
  • It’s a cosmetic issue
  • Cavity underneath it
  • It’s broken

If none of the above occurs and your crown is still functional, you can keep it in your mouth and let it work. Everyone wants their dental restorations to last as long as possible. After all, one pays for it, so they want to get the most value out of it as possible by keeping it in function and service.

Our dentists in Minneapolis Therefore don’t have a time interval recommendation for when it should be replaced. This is because it’s not dependent on time but the condition of your tooth. If one has a porcelain crown let us lasted for over 30 years, that’s called success.

How Does a Dentist Remove a Crown to Replace It?

The dental procedure to replace a crown is similar to the first time one had it made. However, this is an exemption from the part where the dentist needs to remove the dental crown. There are four ways the dentist in Holger Dental Group in Minneapolis can get the crown off your tooth.

  • Wiggle it off
  • Use richwil crown and bridge remover
  • Morrell crown remover
  • Cut the crown off

Wiggling it Off with Pressure

If the dental crown was glued with temporary cement, one may be able to grab it and wiggle it off by moving side to side. This may or might not work if it is glued with permanent cement.

  • Grab the dental restoration with the hemostat
  • Wiggle the crown from side to side
  • Dental restoration should pop off

This technique will work best for temporary crowns glued in with temporary cement. The dentist can generally remove it within 5 to 10 seconds.

This method allows one to reuse the dental crown because it won’t be damaged. In addition, since it’s among the most conservative ways to get it off, a dental crown can be removed and have it back on if one uses this technique.

Ritual Crown and Bridge Remover

This product is a food-grade water-soluble resin that sticks to dental crowns and bridges and pulls them off. It looks like Jelly Bean or gummy candy in appearance. The remover should be dipped into hot water for a few seconds and then placed onto the crown to be removed.

The patient is asked to bite down or need and open forcefully. Then the crown should be off your tooth and stuck to the remover.

Morrell Crown Remover

This tool hooks up onto the dental crown on one end, while on the other hand, there’s a pneumatic tapping mechanism that lifts the dental crown off.

Cutting the Crown Off

This is the most aggressive way for your dental professional to remove the dental crown. They’ll section the crown in half by cutting it into it. The damage is permanent and irreversible, so one cannot reuse the dental crown afterwards. Instead, they use dental numbing gel and the numbing shot. Then cut off the old crown by drilling it in half.

Afterwards, they remove each half separately and refine the tooth preparation. They’ll then take an impression of their tooth and make a temporary crown while waiting for the dental lab to make the new crown.

How Do you Prevent your Crown from Needing Replacements?

People want to have a crown made once and never replaced again. This can be done by taking good care of it. One can have same-day dental crowns or traditional crowns that don’t need any special cleaning techniques. You can treat the crown like any other tooth in your mouth. You can do this by

  • Brushing at least twice daily with the fluoride toothpaste
  • Flossing before going to bed
  • Using a mouthwash
  • Ensuring you visit your dentist for dental exams and cleaning twice a year
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