How To Take Care Of Your New Dental Crown
Posted on: 13 August 2019
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Did you just have a crown put on your damaged tooth? You might be excited to see a white, porcelain tooth when you smile and not to experience pain anymore when you drink hot or cold beverages. On the other hand, you might have some concerns about caring for your crown in the coming years. Here are a few tips to keep you on the right track.
Keep brushing well.
The crown does provide a barrier between your real tooth and your mouth. This will help protect the tooth from future cavities and decay. However, it does not do anything for your gums. You need to keep cleaning the crown-covered tooth and the area around it so that the gums stay healthy. Healthy gums make for a healthy tooth! Brush twice a day as usual, and spend a few seconds focusing just on the gumline around that crown-covered tooth.
Avoid dark beverages.
Your crown is made from a stain-resistant material. However, the teeth around the crown can still stain. If they develop too much staining, they will be a different color from the crown, which will make the crown stand out. Stay away from red wine, dark beer, and coffee, all of which are known to stain teeth. Instead, reach for white wine, tea, and light beer.
Don't chew on hard things.
Porcelain is very resistant to wear, but it can be damaged. If you bite down on something too hard, the porcelain could crack. A cracked crown could allow bacteria to seep in and cause more decay in the tooth beneath the crown. Don't bite down on hard candy, nuts, or anything plastic. (Opening a package with your teeth is a terrible idea even if you do not have a crown.)
See your dentist.
It's important for everyone to see the dentist once or twice a year for a checkup. This is even more important when you have restorations in your mouth like a crown. If something does go wrong with the crown, such as a chip or a crack, your dentist will notice it early and can fix it before the tooth underneath suffers the consequences.
In general, a crown does not require a lot of maintenance or any major lifestyle changes. To learn more about proper crown care, reach out to your dentist. They may even have a pamphlet or some other materials they can provide you. Reach out to them to learn more about crowns.