Ways To Protect Your New Dental Crown
Posted on: 17 July 2019
Getting a dental crown is a relatively common dental procedure, and a dental crown can last a long time when cared for in the right ways. If you need a dental crown for a tooth that is not complete or for any other reason, you should take time to learn how to care for the crown so that you can make sure your crown lasts as long as possible. Here are the best ways to protect a dental crown that your dentist just placed over a tooth in your mouth.
Care for it like it is a natural tooth
The first thing to understand is that even though a dental crown is an artificial tooth, it will still need to be cared for, and you can do this just like you would if it was a natural tooth. What this involves is brushing the tooth just like you brush your other teeth and flossing around the tooth daily. If you use the same or better care for this crown as you do for your other teeth, it may end up lasting longer.
Use caution with how you use it
While a dental crown adds strength to a tooth that cannot stand on its own, it has limits. If you use the dental crown to bite on things that are too hard, you risk breaking the crown. Once a crown breaks, it must be removed and replaced with a new crown, as a dentist cannot usually repair an existing crown. To avoid damaging the crown, you should not bite down on really hard things with it. For example, if you are eating a really hard piece of candy and want to bite it, do not use the tooth that has the crown. If you do this, it could cause the crown to break.
Avoid grinding the crown
If you grind your teeth at nighttime while you sleep, talk to your dentist about this. Grinding a crown night after night will weaken it and could cause it to eventually break. Your dentist might recommend giving you a device to wear while you sleep to protect your crown and your other teeth from the damaging effects of grinding.
If you currently need a crown or if you already have one, you should follow these tips because they will help your crown last longer. To learn more about dental crowns and caring for them, talk to a dentist today.
For more information, contact a dentist like Gregory S Rutherford, DDS.
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