Five Tips to Care for Your Dental Crowns

When it comes to fixing your chipped and broken teeth, dental crowns can be the ideal solution as they can fix a myriad of flaws. These teeth crowns are made of different materials with porcelain crowns being the most common, as they resemble your natural teeth.

5 Tips for Caring for Your Dental Crowns

One of the benefits of using dental crowns is that they are durable and can last for about 15 years. However, their lifespan is dependent mainly on how well you care for them. Here are five tips to help you care for your crowns and lengthen their durability.

1. Keep Your Teeth Healthy and Bright

Although the dental crown may be artificial and less prone to decay, the teeth underneath are not. Failure to clean your teeth properly and flossing every day can cause food particles to stick on the teeth and sneak in underneath your crowns. This will increase the chances of developing dental decay because the bacteria in your mouth begin to multiply and eventually affect the teeth. Make it a daily routine to brush, floss, and rinse your mouth immediately after eating to remove any stuck food particles. Also, don’t forget to use an antibacterial mouthwash to kill the bacteria.

2. Watch What You Eat

While dental crowns do not interfere with your diet or lifestyle in any way, there are certain foods you need to avoid or consume in moderation. Avoid eating sticky, chewy, and hard foods. Chewing on foods like ice chips or hard candies can cause your crowns to weaken, loosen, or even crack. Remember, any crack on your teeth can trap food particles and slowly lead to dental decay. While you are at it, limit your consumption of wine, coffee, tea, or coca.

If you take these beverages, make sure you rinse your teeth immediately to keep the stains from developing. Although the dental crowns are stain-resistant, they do discolor, and once they stain, you cannot bleach them as you would your natural teeth. The dentist normally cleans and removes any brown stains before carrying out the dental crown procedure because the crowns’ shade cannot be altered. Once your dental caps discolor, you will have to get them replaced.

3. Kick the Bad Habits to the Curb

Do you bite your nails often or grind your teeth when stressed? Well, you need to quit these habits if you desire to have your crowns for a bit longer. Using your teeth to open bottles will weaken them and eventually cause them to fall out. Moreover, biting on your nails or using your teeth to open bottles can also damage your natural teeth.

4. Protect Your Teeth

Teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism) is a common practice, and most people tend to do it when they are stressed. Bruxism occurs either during the day or at night. Night bruxism is the most dangerous because it occurs while you are sleeping, making it hard to control it. The best solution is to use customized mouthguards. These devices help to keep your teeth from touching and reduce the impact of grinding. Teeth clenching and grinding damage not just your dental crowns, but can also weaken your dental structure and lead to other problems like Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ).

5. Visit the Dentist Regularly

Visit our dentist, bi-annually for your routine dental checkup and cleaning. These visits make it easy for the dentist to detect any cracks or wear out of the crown and address them on time. Also, professional cleaning helps to remove any plaque buildup from above the gum line. Plaque buildup can lead to tartar if not removed, which is the primary cause of gum disease. Having regular dental visits benefits not only your oral health but overall wellness as well.

Schedule an Appointment

Dental crowns are tooth-like caps that cover your teeth to change their shape, and size and improve their appearance. The crowns help to correct a range of dental flaws from chipped to misshapen teeth. Visit SS Dental clinic for more information on dental crowns and how they can benefit and improve your teeth.