Dental crown care

If you do decide to have a dental crown placed, then here are some pointers for caring for the same.

Longevity of a dental crown is 20-30 years and if proper care is taken and meticulous oral hygiene is maintained by the patient, then this can be longer. Patients need to follow certain instructions after getting temporary or permanent dental crowns.{{more}} During tooth preparation, the dentine of the tooth is exposed, which may cause ingress of harmful substances through dentine into pulp, sensitivity to hot and cold food stuffs, unaesthetic appearance in case of anterior tooth. To prevent this, a temporary dental crown is needed after tooth preparation. Temporary dental crowns also prevent the prepared teeth and teeth adjacent from shifting.

If proper care of the dental crown is not taken, then it can lead to various problems after dental crown placement. Decay of tooth, inflammation of tissues which surround the crowned tooth, gingival recession, change of colour can occur if the patient doesn’t take care of his dental crown. Immediately after getting the dental crown, certain precautions need to be observed and for the long term, the patient has to maintain good oral hygiene for longevity of the dental crown and to avoid any complications after getting the dental crown.

Precautions after Getting Temporary Dental Crown

1. After the cementation of the temporary dental crown, the patient should not chew for 1⁄2 an hour, because temporary cement takes 1⁄2 an hour to set completely.

2. Temporary crowns do not have much strength, so patients should not bite on hard foods with a temporary crown.

3. Patients should not eat sticky foods, e.g. chewing gum, with a temporary crown, otherwise it may come off.

4. Temporary dental crowns come off easily because they are cemented with a temporary cement to facilitate their easy removal at the time of permanent dental crown placement.

5. Mild sensitivity to hot and cold may occur with a temporary crown; the patient need not worry about it, as it does not occur with a permanent crown.

6. The colour and dimensions of the temporary dental crown are not same as that of permanent dental crown.

7. Proper oral hygiene should be maintained. A soft toothbrush should be used for tooth brushing and flossing should be done. Floss should not be snapped out, as a temporary crown may come off along with it. To remove the floss, let the flossing thread go out with one hand and slide it out with other hand.

If the temporary dental crown comes off, then the patient should visit his dentist as soon as possible.

Precautions to be taken for Permanent Dental Crowns

1. Initially, mild sensitivity to hot and cold may be present, which is relieved gradually in a few weeks after getting a permanent dental crown.

2. To increase the life of dental crowns, the patient should maintain good oral hygiene.

a) The patient should brush teeth regularly, after breakfast in the morning and at night before sleeping. Tooth brushing should be done minimum twice per day.

b) Patients should floss to remove the plaque and calculus deposits which are present interdentally.

c) Rinse mouth with a mouthwash once daily, preferably at night before sleeping. Mouthwash is a chemical adjunct to removal of plaque and calculus deposits from the teeth and is to be used along with a mechanical method of plaque removal, that is, along with tooth brushing and flossing.

3. It may require few days to adjust to the permanent dental crown. Initially, the high point may be felt by the patient and it may take a few days to chew properly with a permanent dental crown.

4. The patient should visit the dentist regularly at least every six months, so that any problem around the crown can be detected at an early stage and corrected.

Dr Keith John

Email:drkeithjohn@gmail.com

Clinic: SVG Dental Corporation

Telephone: 784-456-2220

Cell: 784-526-0752