How Much Does It Cost To Reattach A Crown?

Last Updated on March 13, 2023
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

The dental crown is a prosthetic cap that completely covers a flint or a tooth with a high degree of coronary destruction, thus managing to save it, both aesthetically and functionally. Dental crowns are made in a dental laboratory, following the tooth prints taken from the patient.

The dental crown looks just like a tooth, but it’s empty inside. Such a cap is recommended in the following situations:

Over 50% of the tooth is destroyed due to advanced cavities;
The teeth may need a restoration because of the shape or color;
Following a root canal treatment;
The teeth are discolored or have various colorations that cannot be remedied by bleaching;
In dental implant treatment.

How much does it cost to reattach a crown?

The cost to reattach a crown starts from $80 and can go up to $300. The price for reattaching a cap varies due to the dental clinics’ policy and whether or not it is a personal dental emergency.

Reattaching a dental crown is a simple and cost-effective procedure, both for you and your dentist. If there are no complications, the dentist will just have to clean the area of the tooth and crown, apply the adhesive and put the cap back on. This procedure won’t last too long and definitely won’t hurt.

There are dental clinics that have their own policy, so if the dental crow has less than 5 years, and was placed in that clinic they will re-cement it for free. But if you want to re-cement a crown that was attached by another doctor, they can charge you a fee that starts from $80, depending on the condition of the tooth and crown.

Additional costs

Depending on your dental problems or emergencies some additional costs might appear. If there are no complications that include tooth pain or a chipped crown, you might be faced with just the cost of the crown reattachment.

In case the crown fell and the tooth hurts you may need an emergency examination which can cost from $50 to $150, and a dental X-ray which can cost around $40, plus the eventual treatment.

You might also like our articles on the cost of dental crowns, dental implants, and dental bridges.

If the crown is the one that suffered an accident and is cracked or chipped, your doctor will evaluate the problem. In case it cannot be restored you may need a new one which can cost between $800 and $2500, depending on the material it is made of and whether you have insurance or not. Resin crowns may be a cheap option if you can’t afford a new cap, as they cost somewhere between $400 and $600. A resin crown is a tooth restoration made by your dentist and not in a lab.

What causes a crown to fall?

A dental crown is used to cover a tooth to restore its shape and strength. The fixation on the tooth is done by cementing it with a special material used in dental offices.

Once the crown is fixed, it should remain stable and in the appropriate position for a long time. But there are situations when the crown can feel loose and you may find yourself in a situation where you notice that it has fallen off altogether.

There are several reasons why dental crowns can fall from your teeth, and these include:

Short clinical preparation: If a tooth is too short, there may not be enough dental structure to maintain the crown;
Large tooth destruction: If the tooth on which the crown is to be cemented does not provide sufficient strength to the crown, due to massive damage, it may fall;
The angle of restoration: The preparation of the tooth is carried out at an unfavorable angle;
Bruxism: Bruxism is the habit of grinding teeth, which people often do without realizing it, but which has important implications for the teeth. It can also lead to the loss of the crown if measures are not taken to stop this habit;
Chewing certain foods: It is recommended to avoid sticky foods, such as pretzels or jellies if you have a temporarily cemented crown. This is because these sticky foods can cause the crown to come off;
Edentation: The fewer teeth you have, the bigger the force, when chewing, that will be distributed on them. This puts under severe stress the crown-covered teeth.

Does dental insurance cover crown reattachment?

Most of the dental plans cover the replacement or reattachment of chipped, cracked, or broken dental crowns. They will definitely not cover dental procedures just for cosmetic purposes. If you are stressing about how much you are going to pay, the best way to find out is to talk to your dentist and insurance company.

Do dental crowns have a warranty?

There is no such thing as a written warranty for your dental crown, as it depends on how you take care of it. A dental crown may last up to 15 years if you take care of your oral hygiene. However, there are clinics where if the crown is recent they will reattach it or replace it for free.

How long does a dental crown last?

The lifetime of a dental crown depends on good oral care. It is important to carefully brush your teeth twice a day, and use floss and mouthwash.

With proper hygiene, the lifetime of a ceramic crown can exceed even 15 years. You will also need to make sure you get to the dentist twice a year for routine checkups.

What to do if a dental crown is de-cemented?

After the crown fell, check whether it is in its original state or it has deteriorated. Chipped and cracked crowns usually can’t be re-cemented, so you’ll need to take care to protect your crown right after it’s fallen out. Start by rinsing it with a small amount of water. You should also use a toothbrush to gently clean the crown.

Ideally, you should protect the crown by storing it in a solid container so that there is no risk of chipping it on the way to the dental office.

Expect the exposed tooth to be sensitive, so protect it until you can get to your dentist. Usually, teeth with root canal treatments are not as sensitive as vital teeth, but in any case, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible.

The longer you wait, the harder it can be to re-cement your dental crown. The tooth can undergo some changes, and the gums can develop over the edges where the crown was attached, so it will be much harder, if not impossible, to reattach it. Even a week without your crown, there is enough time for these changes to begin to occur, so time is precious and can bring you some additional costs.

Also, do not try to reattach your dental crown yourself. You don’t have the same tools and experience as a good dentist. You may end up doing irreversible damage to both the crown and tooth if you try to address the problem at home.