A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that dentists place over a damaged tooth. The crown covers and protects the tooth underneath. Usually a temporary crown is placed while a laboratory makes the permanent crown. Then after a few weeks, they remove the temporary crown and put the permanent crown on the tooth.

Follow these instructions to care for your child at home.

• During the procedure, your child got medicine to numb the mouth. While the numbing medicine wears off over the next few hours:
  • Don't let your child eat solid foods. This is to prevent your child from biting the mouth during chewing. If your child gets hungry, offer applesauce, a milkshake, or other foods that they don't need to chew.
  • Don't let your child bite or poke their lips or the inside of the mouth.
• For the first 24 hours after the numbing medicine wears off:
  • Give your child soft foods, like mashed potatoes, eggs, or bananas. 
  • Your child should avoid hot drinks and foods.
• If your child had medicines to relax and sleep during the procedure, they may feel sick to their stomach or throw up for a few hours. Help them take sips of water until they feel better. Ask the dentist if your child should avoid certain foods (such as sticky or chewy foods).
• If your child has pain and your health care provider says it's OK:
  • You can give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol^® or a store brand) OR ibuprofen (such as Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand). Follow the package directions for how much to give and how often.
• Ask your dentist if your child should do a saltwater rinse and spit (8 ounces of water mixed with ½ teaspoon of salt).
• Help your child brush and floss as the dentist directed.
• Schedule any follow-up visits as directed, as well as routine dental checkups.

• The crown:
  • falls off
  • is loose or chipped
• Your child:
  • is vomiting or doesn't want to drink several hours after leaving the dentist
  • has numbness that lasts more than a few hours after the procedure
  • has pain that doesn't get better with the recommended pain medicine or lasts more than a week
  • gets a fever

When is a crown needed? Crowns may be needed for broken or damaged teeth, to make a tooth look better, or to protect a tooth from decay and damage.

How does a dentist put on a crown? Before putting a crown on a tooth, the dentist first numbs the area. Specially trained dentists may also use medicines to make a child relaxed or sleep during the procedure. Then the dentist cleans the tooth, removes any decay or infected tissue, and prepares the tooth for the crown. The dentist then attaches the crown to the tooth with a special type of cement.