Here Are The Three Options You Have If You Have Swallowed Your Dental Crown
The risk of swallowing a dislodged dental crown is not high, but it is not zero. Fortunately, if you do swallow your crown, it's likely to pass through your body without any life-threatening complication. Still, there are things you can do if you swallow your dental crown, and the following three options make a good starting point:
Regurgitate It
The first option is to try to force yourself to throw up and, hopefully, expel the dental crown along with the contents of your stomach. The main advantage of this option is that you will be able to reuse your dental crown. As you know, dental crowns aren't cheap; pricing depends on different things (such as material), but the cheapest cost hundreds of dollars. When you regurgitate the crown, the dentist will just clean it and reattach it so that you don't have to spend more on a new crown material.
Here are some tips if you decide this is the route to take:
- Don't use the sink; the crown material may go down the drain
- Disinfect the crown (household bleach will do just fine) if you do get it
- Schedule a reattachment as soon as possible
Look for It in Your Stool
Regurgitation isn't the only way you may be able to get your dental crown, you can also let it pass through your stomach and look for it in your stool. The problem is that you will not be able to pinpoint exactly when the crown is passing along with your stool; it can be as short as some hours or as long as a couple of days.
Therefore, you need to start looking for the crown in the stool passed during any bowel movement in the hours following the swallowing until a couple of days or so. You can also eat some unique food immediately when you realize that you have swallowed your dental crown; this will act as a marker so that you can better approximate when to expect the crown.
Ignore It
Lastly, it's also perfectly acceptable to ignore the swallowed crown and make plans on getting a new one. This is especially true if you are sure that the crown entered your stomach; that is, you did not experience any complications after swallowing it. It is always a good idea, however, to inform the dentist about your experience to get a positive confirmation that you are alright.
Share