Lost a filling or crown? Call (434) 977-4101 now — Willis & Associates Family Dentistry Ivy offers same-day emergency appointments, and the sooner a bare tooth is covered again, the simpler the fix tends to be. A lost restoration is rarely as dramatic as a knocked-out tooth, but do not let the lack of drama fool you: the tooth underneath is now exposed, vulnerable, and often surprisingly sensitive.
First Things First: Save What Came Out
If a crown comes off, find it, rinse it gently, and put it somewhere safe — a small zip-top bag or pill container works well. Bring it to your appointment. Intact crowns can often be cleaned and re-cemented, which is the fastest and most economical outcome available. A lost filling, on the other hand, generally cannot be reused, so do not worry if it went down the drain; just make the call.
Interim Care Until Your Appointment
- Keep the area clean. Brush gently and rinse with warm salt water after eating to keep food debris out of the exposed tooth.
- Chew on the other side. An unprotected tooth can crack under normal biting force, turning a simple repair into a complicated one.
- Manage sensitivity. Exposed inner tooth structure reacts to heat, cold, air, and sweets. Over-the-counter pain relievers, used as directed, and avoiding temperature extremes usually keep things tolerable.
- Use temporary dental cement if needed. Pharmacies sell over-the-counter dental cement that can cover an exposed cavity or temporarily hold a crown for a day or two. Follow the package directions carefully.
- Never use household glue. Super glue and similar adhesives are not safe in the mouth, can damage the tooth and the crown, and can make professional re-cementation impossible.
Why You Shouldn't Wait It Out
A tooth that has lost its restoration is missing its armor. Without it, several things happen quietly: bacteria colonize the exposed surface and can start new decay in days to weeks; the tooth and its neighbors can begin drifting into the open space, which may change how your crown fits; and an undermined tooth can fracture under everyday chewing. What starts as a re-cement appointment can become root canal therapy or worse when the wait stretches from days into months. If the tooth has already cracked, our broken tooth repair page explains your options — and our chipped tooth guide can help you sort out what you are looking at.
How We Repair It
Your visit starts with an exam and any needed imaging to check the health of the tooth underneath. From there, the path depends on what we find:
- Re-cementing your existing crown when the crown is intact and the tooth beneath is sound.
- A new filling when the old one failed, often because of new decay around its edges.
- A new crown when the old crown is damaged or the tooth needs more coverage. Our office uses iTero digital scanning to capture the impression digitally — no goopy trays — for a precise, comfortable fit. Read our blog post Goodbye to Messy Impressions for how modern crown appointments have changed.
- Further treatment when decay runs deep. If bacteria reached the nerve, root canal therapy saves the tooth; in rare cases where too little healthy tooth remains, an extraction and replacement plan is the honest recommendation.
Same-Day Repair, Straight Answers
Willis & Associates Family Dentistry Ivy has served area families with over 30 years of trusted service and has been doctor-owned. You will find us at 2216 Ivy Rd #205, Charlottesville, VA 22903 — on Route 250 about 8 minutes west of UVA Grounds — with hours Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. If the loose crown came with a throbbing ache, start with our toothache treatment page; for everything urgent we handle, see emergency dental care.
Protect the tooth while it still needs only a simple fix. Call (434) 977-4101 or book online for a same-day repair visit.