Dental Crown After Care
What Are Dental Crowns?
They are tooth-shaped porcelain materials created to mimic the teeth’ enamels for repairing and restoring damaged teeth. Dental crowns are used in restorative dentistry for various roles, including the following:
- Repairing cracked and broken teeth
- Covering dental implants – implants replace lost teeth by replacing the roots first. Afterward, your dentist will place a tooth crown over the implant to complete the procedure.
- Creating a dental bridge – it is an oral appliance used for replacing missing teeth. Tooth crowns hold the artificial replacement tooth in place.
- Holding a tooth filling in place – usually when the dental filling used to treat your diseased tooth is too large, enough to compromise the structural elements of your natural tooth.
What to Expect When Getting Crowns for Your Teeth
Oral crowns are installed in a two-part procedure. The initial step involves preparing your tooth, where the dentist shaves off part of your tooth’s enamel. The removal of a portion of your natural tooth creates room for the tooth crown to be installed. After preparation, the dentist takes impressions of your prepared tooth, using them for designing your tooth crown. At this, the first part of your procedure is complete. Your dentist will place a temporary crown on your prepared tooth, protecting the exposed internal layers from bacteria that cause infections. You will be back at the dentist’s office for the next phase of the treatment after about two weeks when your crown is ready for installation.
On your second visit, the dentist will use dental cement to permanently attach the crown to your tooth. The created crown should fit like a glove because it is customized and tailored to your tooth. Upon installation, your treatment is complete, and you are ready to share your smile with the world.
Tips for Dental Crown Care
When you think of taking care of your crown, it should also cover the aftercare tips for the temporary crown. Although you will have the temporary crown for only two weeks, taking care of it preserves your dental health more than you would know. For example, if you do not take care of your temporary crowns, you may attract an infection in your tooth, causing tooth decay or gum disease. It means that upon installation of your tooth crown, you will already be set up for failure because of an infection happening in your tissues.
- Temporary Dental Crown Care Brush your teeth twice every day
- Floss daily
- Avoid eating hard foods – the last thing you want is to incur chipped crowns, which eventually undermine the idea of preventing infections to the inner layers of your teeth.
- Avoid sticky foods that may dislodge the crown or get stuck in between teeth.
- Permanent Dental Crown After Care
At Bella Via Dental, we advise our patients to care for both their temporary and permanent crowns the same way. If you get good at caring for your teeth with temporary crowns, it will not be a big adjustment to care for your permanent crowns. Besides, permanent crowns are so much easier to maintain and care for than temporary crowns. Some other care tips to consider include:
- Eat healthily
- Quit smoking and drinking alcohol – especially if you are concerned with keeping your oral crowns as white as they are.
- Use a night guard – is specific for patients who grind their teeth at night. Frequent and excessive teeth grinding will wear down your crowns, requiring a replacement sooner than not. If you do not have a night guard, talk to your dentist about getting them.
- Quit your bad habits – ranging from fingernail biting to chewing pens and opening cans with your teeth. All these habits can chip, crack or break your porcelain teeth.
- Visit your dentist often – for dental cleanings and dental exams that will help monitor your overall oral health.
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
Dental crowns last as long as the material used to make them and how well you care for them. Patients who excel in oral hygiene and have good oral habits can keep their crowns intact for longer than 20 years without needing to repair or replace them. Typically, crowns can last anywhere between 10 and 15 years.