4 Tips for Looking After Your Dental Crowns

Dental crowns can give new life to damaged teeth. These structures cover the tops and sides of a weak or compromised tooth, lending it additional strength and sealing gaps which might otherwise allow bacteria to enter and cause infections. If you wish to take care of your crowns, take the following four tips to heart. 

Before you receive a permanent crown made of ceramic, zirconia, precious metal, or some other strong material, your dentist will fit you with a temporary crown made of resin. This resin crown, held in place with a relatively weak dental adhesive, only approximates the fit and bite you'll receive from its more robust replacement.

The somewhat delicate nature of a temporary crown may require you to treat it with special consideration during the couple of weeks that it must remain in your mouth. Take a break from challenging foods that require strong chewing action. Brush and floss gently and carefully so that you don't accidentally loosen the crown.

When you cap a weak or broken tooth with a tough new permanent crown, you probably feel renewed confidence about using that tooth, and rightly so. However, dental crowns can break just like natural teeth when they bite down on the wrong things too firmly, forcing you to spend more money and time in the dentist's chair. 

Avoid biting down with full power on ice cubes, hard candies, and other items that can damage your crowns. You'll find that a slight reduction in biting force still enables you to chew your food perfectly adequately without risking your dental restorations. You may also want to allow hard foods to soften in your mouth before chewing them.

Sticky foods can prove harmful to dental crowns as well. The dental adhesive that holds them onto teeth may have considerable strength, but it can still lose a tug-of-war with taffy candy or other unusually chewy foods. Either remove these items from your regular menu entirely or proceed with extreme caution.

Ceramic crowns can't quite match natural tooth enamel for strength and durability. As a result, they may wear or fracture more readily than your natural teeth when subjected to excessive force. Unfortunately, you can damage crowns (and teeth) without even realizing it if you suffer from bruxism (compulsive teeth grinding or clenching).

Bruxism typically occurs during sleep, although people can also grind or clench their teeth unconsciously while awake. Possible causes of bruxism include emotional stress, side effects of various medications, and bite alignment errors. Symptoms of bruxism include premature tooth wear, cracked teeth, and sore teeth or jaws.

You can protect your dental work against the effects of bruxism by asking your dentist to fit you with a nightguard. This appliance provides a shock-absorbing barrier between the upper and lower teeth while also helping to ease jaw tension. Braces, aligners, or other treatment options may also help correct a bite misalignment.

Even if your dental crown's surfaces can never succumb to the bacteria that cause tooth decay, keep in mind that the natural roots and enamel holding that crown in place can still sustain serious decay and damage. If this deterioration goes unchecked, the crown may detach from its organic moorings or you might lose the entire tooth.

In some respects, teeth fitted with crowns can face an even higher risk of decay than teeth without crowns. When dentists install crowns, they must leave a tiny gap beneath the base of the crown and the gumline. This gap can easily trap plaque and foster bacteria.

Make every effort to keep the structures within and beneath a dental crown as healthy and strong as possible. Brush and floss your crown just as carefully as you would a fully-natural tooth. Schedule twice-yearly dental checkups and cleanings to make sure that the crowned tooth remains in optimal health for many years to come.

Our team at Advanced Dental Care can install, adjust, or replace dental crowns as needed for healthy, functional, good-looking teeth. Contact our clinic today.