The appointment to place a temporary crown typically takes 60 to 90 minutes from start to finish. The temporary crown itself is only one part of that visit, though. Most of the time is spent preparing your tooth and taking impressions for the permanent crown that will replace it later.
What Happens During the Appointment
The temporary crown visit is actually your first of two crown appointments. Your dentist uses this session to do all the prep work on your tooth and get your permanent crown ordered, then caps things off (literally) with a temporary to protect what’s underneath while you wait.
Here’s the general sequence and how the time breaks down:
- Numbing: Your dentist injects a local anesthetic, usually lidocaine, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes to fully kick in. Some dentists apply a topical numbing gel first and then wait a minute before the injection.
- Tooth shaping: This is the most time-intensive step. Your dentist files down the tooth on all sides to create enough room for a crown to fit over it, making sure the edges are smooth and rounded. This can take 20 to 30 minutes depending on how much reshaping is needed.
- Impressions or scanning: Your dentist takes a mold of the prepared tooth and surrounding teeth, either with a putty-like impression material or a digital scanner. This gives the dental lab the exact measurements to build your permanent crown. Digital scans are faster, usually just a few minutes, while traditional impressions take a bit longer because the material needs to set in your mouth.
- Temporary crown fabrication: Your dentist makes the temporary right there in the office using acrylic or composite resin. This is shaped to roughly match your tooth and then trimmed and adjusted to fit your bite.
- Cementing: The temporary is attached with a mild adhesive designed to hold the crown in place but still allow your dentist to remove it easily at your next visit.
The exact timing varies by dentist and by how complex your tooth situation is. A straightforward front tooth takes less time than a molar that needs significant reshaping or a tooth with old fillings that need to be removed first.
Why It Takes Longer Than You’d Expect
If you’re picturing a quick snap-on cap, the 60 to 90 minute window might seem like a lot. But the temporary crown is really a small piece of a bigger procedure. The bulk of that appointment is dedicated to permanently altering your tooth’s shape and getting precise measurements sent to a lab. The temporary itself is made from acrylic or resin, materials that are fast to mold and cure compared to the porcelain or ceramic used for permanent crowns. Fabricating and fitting the temporary probably accounts for 15 to 20 minutes of the total visit.
Your dentist also needs to check your bite after placing the temporary. If it sits too high or rubs against neighboring teeth, they’ll trim it down and have you bite on articulating paper again. This back-and-forth adjustment can add a few extra minutes.
What to Expect Right After
You can leave the office immediately after the temporary is cemented, but your mouth will stay numb for a while. The most common anesthetic, lidocaine, keeps soft tissue numb for 2 to 3 hours after routine dental work. Some longer-acting options can leave you numb for 4 to 6 hours.
Wait at least 30 minutes to an hour before eating anything. This gives the temporary cement time to fully harden. For the first 24 hours, stick to soft foods and chew on the opposite side of your mouth. The adhesive holding a temporary crown is intentionally weaker than what’s used for a permanent one, so sticky or hard foods can pull it loose.
How Long You’ll Wear the Temporary
Most people wear a temporary crown for about 1 to 3 weeks while the dental lab fabricates the permanent replacement. In some cases it can stay on for up to 2 months, but that’s not ideal. The longer a temporary remains in place, the greater the chance it loosens, falls off, or allows bacteria to reach the prepared tooth underneath.
Your second appointment, where the temporary comes off and the permanent crown goes on, is shorter. Removing the temporary, checking the fit of the new crown, and cementing it permanently usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. No tooth shaping is needed since that was all handled at the first visit.