On average, the second crown appointment should take no more than 30 minutes. However, if a complication arises it could take more time. The vice versa is also true in that if there are no hiccups, the visit could take less than 30 mins.
We will explain in further detail about what we mean for each of these three scenarios. That way you'll know what to expect when you go in for your actual appointment.
How long does the second crown appointment take?
You should expect to spend about 30 minutes for your second crown appointment.
The first visit was when the tooth had to be prepared, shaved down, and taken an impression of.
This second visit is when the permanent crown comes back and you have to try it on to see if it fits before you can permanently cement it.
Your dentist has to go through multiple steps before they can glue it on for you. These steps add up to approximately half an hour total.
What to expect during the procedure
You may need to be numb depending on whether the tooth is vital or non-vital. Root canal treated teeth do not require anesthesia.
Remove the temporary crown and clean off the residual temporary cement.
Try the new crown onto the tooth.
If the bite feels high, the occlusion will need to be adjusted.
If the contacts feel tight, the flossing area will need to be relieved.
Once the new tooth cap feels "comfortable" and you are pleased with the aesthetics, it is now ready to be glued in.
Polish it to make it smooth and shiny.
Crown will be cemented with permanent cement.
Clean off residual glue and floss to make sure nothing is stuck.
Aftercare instructions
If you are numb from the procedure you will need to wait for the anesthesia to wear off before you eat. Otherwise you will risk biting your lips, tongue, or cheek.
Aside from that, you can brush your new tooth and floss it as if it was any other one in your mouth. The only precaution is to avoid chewing gum or sticky foods for the next 24 hours in order to allow time for the dental cement to set.
Complications
Sometimes complications may arise during this second crown appointment which will certainly add time to the visit. It may take as long as 45 minutes and an extra appointment to correct these unexpected mishaps.
Potential complications:
Crown doesn't fit. It doesn't fit on your tooth because it has a gap (open margin) or it rocks and doesn't feel stable.
Lab sent the wrong crown. We've had instances where our dental lab sent us the case that was meant for a different dentist office. A tell tale sign was that the impression and stone model doesn't even look the same at all!
Poor aesthetics. The tooth cap can sometimes be too bulky or too skinny. Perhaps the contour or the shape of it is just not pleasing to the eye of the beholder.
Tooth shade doesn't match. The color of the crown can be too dark or even too white when compared to the adjacent teeth.
Crown fracture. It's unfortunate but we've had instances where the whole cap fractures in half or a small piece breaks during the try in.
Typically, if you experience any of the above mishaps, the lab case will need to be sent back to the for a redo. More often than not, you may need to take a new impression of the teeth so that your dentist can convey more accurate information to the master ceramist to correct it.
In summary, a crown complication may make the appointment take as long as 45 minutes and will also add an extra appointment visit.
No complication
If there are no complications with the second crown visit and everything goes perfectly, it could take as little as 15 minutes. You'll be in and out of the dentist office in a jiffy.
Situations with no complications:
No bite adjustment. It feels good when you bite down on it and it doesn't feel high.
No contact adjustment. It doesn't feel tight like it's putting pressure on the adjacent teeth.
Perfect aesthetics. The crown looks perfect to your eye. It looks like a natural tooth and you can't even tell that it is a false tooth. Only the statue of David looks better than it.
Essentially when all of the above factors happen to align, all your dentist needs to do is apply dental glue to the crown and cement it. That whole process should take less than 15 mins to complete.
Consider yourself fortunate if this is your situation.
Takeaway
Most of the time, whenever the crown comes back, there will be some minor adjustments that your dentist will need to do. These are required in order to make it fit better. Due to these adjustments that are needed, you can expect to spend about half an hour at your dentist.
Although once in a while, you may encounter a complication and that can make the visit take longer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, everything could go perfectly and the visit could only take 15 minutes.
Nonetheless, we've described to you all of the possible scenarios for what to expect during the tooth cap try in appointment.
