What to Do When Your Porcelain Crown Chips? Here’s Why It Happens & How to Fix It

Reasons Behind Chipped Porcelain Crowns

1. You’re Not Taking Good Care of It

Using your porcelain crown to bite hard things—like opening beer bottles or chewing sugarcane—or getting it hit accidentally can cause chipping. Grinding your teeth at night can also mess up the crown’s fit and lead to chips.

2. The Crown Was Made with Low-Quality Materials

If the metal base of the crown is too thin, it can’t hold the porcelain layer properly. Bad processing or pre-oxidation can also cause chips. Cheap metals that don’t mix well with your body may irritate your gums, leading to inflammation, discoloration, or bad breath.

3. The Dentist’s Skill Matters a Lot

Many people focus on clinic fancy equipment or crown materials but forget to check the dentist’s expertise—and that’s a big mistake! A badly designed crown can crack or chip easily under pressure, and a loose fit lets bacteria in, causing your natural tooth to decay and the crown to fail fast.

Fixing a Chipped Porcelain Crown

1. Small Chips

Take a close look at the chip. If it’s tiny, not visible when you smile, and has no sharp edges, you don’t need to do anything. For small, unnoticeable chips, your dentist can smooth it down so you can keep using the crown.

2. Big Chips

If the chip is obvious, ruins your smile, or has sharp edges that hurt your tongue or cheeks, go see your dentist right away. Usually, the best fix is to remove the old crown and make a new one.

There are now special resins that can fix chipped porcelain—your dentist will prep the surface, shape the resin, and harden it with light to repair the damage.

But the best way is to take good care of your crown from the start to avoid chipping at all!