Emergency dental treatments
Temporary crown: protecting a broken tooth until the permanent one is made
A temporary crown is a plastic cap made in the chair in about half an hour. It covers a broken or prepared tooth, stops the sensitivity and holds the space while the real crown is made.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, Principal Dentist · GDC 301711 · Last reviewed April 2026
What a temporary crown is for
A crown is a cap that covers the whole of a tooth above the gum. The permanent version is made in a laboratory from ceramic and takes around two weeks to come back. In the meantime the tooth it is going on has been cut down to a smaller core, or has broken down to one, and that core needs covering. Bare dentine is sensitive to cold and air, it chips, and the teeth either side and opposite begin to drift into the space within days. A temporary crown solves all three problems at once.
In an emergency the temporary crown is the answer when a large corner of a back tooth has sheared off, when a cusp has fractured under an old filling, when an old crown has come off and cannot go back on, or when a front tooth has broken and you have somewhere to be. It gets you comfortable and presentable the same day. It is not the final repair and is not built to last more than a few weeks.
Temporary crown or recementing: which you need
If your existing crown has come off intact and the tooth underneath is sound, we recement the original crown; that is cheaper, quicker and the crown already fits. You need a temporary crown instead when there is no crown to put back, when the old crown is cracked or no longer seats because the tooth has changed shape, or when decay under the crown means the tooth has to be reshaped and a new crown made. The £30 examination and X-ray tell us which situation you are in, and we explain both fees before doing anything.
A temporary crown is also very different from a temporary filling. A filling fills a hole in a tooth that still has walls around it. A crown wraps a tooth that has lost its walls. If more than about half the tooth is missing, a filling has nothing to hold on to and a crown is the only stable option.
How we make a temporary crown in the chair
A quick impression first.
Anaesthetic.
Shaping the tooth.
Forming the crown.
Fitting.
Temporary crown and permanent crown fees
When the temporary is placed at the same visit as the preparation for the permanent crown, it is included in the crown fee rather than charged separately. 0% finance over 6 to 18 months through Tabeo covers the permanent crown, subject to status. See the emergency fees page for the full list.
| Treatment | Fee (from) |
|---|---|
| Emergency examination including X-rays | £30 |
| Temporary crown made in the chair | Quoted in writing at the examination |
| Permanent all-ceramic crown, including preparation, impression and fit | £750–£1,000 |
| Root canal first, if the nerve is involved | from £450 |
| Out-of-hours (after 6pm weekdays, weekends) | Additional charge |
Living with a temporary crown
The first 24 hours. Do not chew on it for an hour. Eat soft food on the other side for the rest of the day. Mild sensitivity to cold around the gum edge is normal as the tissue settles; paracetamol or ibuprofen as directed on the packet is more than enough if the tooth aches.
The following weeks. A temporary crown is plastic held with weak cement, on purpose, so treat it accordingly. Avoid toffee, chewing gum, hard sweets, crusty bread and nuts on that side; sticky food lifts it off and hard food cracks it. Brush it normally. Floss carefully, pulling the floss out sideways rather than up. It will stain slightly with tea and coffee, which does not matter because it is coming off. If it feels high when you bite, or comes loose, call the same day: a temporary that is off for even a few days lets the neighbouring teeth move and the permanent crown may then not fit. Do not smoke around a freshly prepared live tooth; it slows gum healing at the margin.
Moving on to the permanent crown
The permanent crown is planned at the emergency visit. If the tooth is alive and comfortable under the temporary for a week or two, that is a good sign the nerve will cope. If it develops lingering pain to hot, or aches at night, the nerve is failing and root canal treatment is needed before the crown, which is far better discovered now than after an expensive crown is cemented over it.
The permanent crown takes two visits. At the first, the tooth is prepared and scanned or impressed and the temporary refitted; the laboratory makes the ceramic crown over about two weeks; at the second, the temporary is lifted off, the new crown tried in, checked for fit, bite and colour, and cemented permanently. Our crowns and veneers page describes the all-ceramic options.
Questions, answered
Common questions
How long can I keep a temporary crown on?
Two to four weeks is the design life, and a few weeks longer is usually tolerable. Beyond that the cement leaks, the plastic wears through and the gum around it becomes inflamed.
What should I do if my temporary crown falls off?
Keep it, clean it, and call us the same day. If you cannot get in straight away, a chemist’s temporary cement will hold it overnight. Do not leave the tooth uncovered for days.
Can I eat normally with a temporary crown?
Most foods are fine. Avoid sticky and very hard foods on that side, and chew on the other side where you can. The crown is designed to be removed, so it is held with weak cement.
Does getting a temporary crown hurt?
No. If the tooth needs shaping it is numbed first. Afterwards the gum edge may be slightly tender and the tooth sensitive to cold for a few days.
Why not just fit the permanent crown straight away?
A ceramic crown is made in a laboratory from an impression or scan and takes about two weeks. The temporary protects the tooth in the meantime and lets us check the nerve is healthy before committing to the permanent one.
How much does a crown cost in Sheffield?
At Deepcar Dental Care an all-ceramic crown is £750 to £1,000 including the preparation, temporary and fitting. Emergency temporary crowns on their own are quoted in writing at the £30 examination.
In pain? Don’t wait
Same-day emergency appointments, seven days a week.
£30 emergency examination including X-rays. Call now and a real person answers, or grab a slot online.
334 Manchester Road, Deepcar, Sheffield S36 2RH · Free parking