How to Care For and Maintain Your New Dental Crown
Dental crowns are both cosmetic and functional. They can restore the beauty of your smile while also adding strength to weakened or damaged teeth and allowing you to continue to eat and speak as always. But a dental crown also requires proper care just like your natural teeth.
While most dental hygiene for crowns is the same as it is for natural teeth, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind to keep that artificial tooth looking healthy and beautiful – and keeping it strong – for as long as possible. Here are a few tips on how to maintain your new dental crown;
Avoid hard and/or sticky foods
Crowns are strong and durable. In fact, that’s part of the point of getting one. It offers the strength and durability that your natural tooth no longer can. But even though they’re strong and durable, they’re not indestructible. Hard things can chip, crack or break your crown, such as chewing on ice or biting down on a hard candy.
Sticky or particularly chewy foods can also create issues, by weakening or loosening your crown or getting little bits of sticky material trapped between your crown and your gums. Avoid hard foods, such as hard candies, or sticky/chewy ones, like caramels. If you can’t completely avoid them, at least limit them as much as possible and be careful when eating them.
Get rid of bad teeth habits
Do you open bottles with your teeth as a party trick? Pull cars with just your teeth and a rope for kicks? It’s time to kick those and other bad teeth habits to protect your crown. If you bite your nails, chew on ice or pencils, or grind your teeth when stressed or frustrated, committing to break these habits is crucial to the longevity of your dental crown.
Breaking bad habits can be difficult, but it’s worth the effort. If stopping your bad habits cold turkey is too much for you, consider asking your family dentist for suggestions on smaller steps you can take. For example, they may suggest chewing gum when you feel tempted to bite your nails or chew on ice or pencils.
Brush and floss like your dental crown is a real tooth
A crown is an artificial tooth. Made of man-made materials, it’s not subject to the same tooth decay and cavities that your natural teeth are. So it’s easy to think you can just give it a quick once-over and not worry about it. But while your crown may be artificial, it still sits on top of a real tooth. And bacteria can still turn to plaque on your crown, and this can make its way between your tooth and your crown. This will further weaken the tooth, causing more damage and a need to replace your crown sooner than anticipated.
Give your crown the same attention you give all your natural teeth. Brush it twice daily, floss between it and the teeth next to it, and use mouthwash. You may have been told not to floss while wearing your temporary crown because it might dislodge it. However, your permanent crown is put on with much stronger adhesive and is unlikely to be dislodged unless there are other problems.
Consider using a nightguard
As previously mentioned, grinding your teeth isn’t good for your crown. However, while you can try to break this habit if you do it while awake, it’s a much harder habit to break if you’re sleeping. Statistics are hard to come by, but it’s believed that approximately 15% of adults grind their teeth in their sleep.
The good news here is that your family dentist will be able to tell if you grind your teeth. And if you do, they can help you limit or prevent damage to your teeth and your crown with a custom night guard.
Keep up your regular dental appointments
For some, a visit to the dentist is pure torture. For others, it’s fun. Whichever you are, you still need to keep up with your regular dental appointments in order to care for your new dental crown. Getting regular dental care in Liberty Lake will ensure that your crown stays firmly attached. It also ensures that if there is a problem, it can be caught sooner rather than later.
Twice yearly cleanings and exams are the minimum you should be scheduling. If you sense trouble between appointments, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule an appointment to have it checked out.
Your new dental crown should last for several years. The better you take care of it, the longer it will last. The same holds true for all your teeth, of course, but the crown is one you paid for. Make sure your (or the insurance company’s) hard-earned money isn’t wasted by taking proper care of your crown. And whether it’s your crown or one of your other teeth, book an appointment at Mint Condition Dental so we can help with your dental care in Liberty Lake, Colfax, Pullman or Cheney.
