Getting A Dental Crown? Care Tips You Need To Understand

When you're dealing with damaged teeth, one of the treatments that your dentist might recommend is a dental crown. For those who have never had dental crowns before, you may be apprehensive because you don't know what to expect. It's beneficial for you to understand how to care for your dental crown to ensure that it lasts as long as possible. Here's a look at some of the things you need to know to help protect your dental crown.

Hygiene Is Essential

Don't dismiss your dental crown as fake and therefore not in need of proper dental hygiene. In fact, if you want your crown to last as long as it possibly can, you need to make sure that you make an effort to keep it brushed with the rest of your teeth. Remember that a crown only sits over your existing tooth, so your hygiene efforts are important for the remaining tooth and the gums in that area.

Prevent Damage

Dental crowns are more vulnerable to damage than some people might assume. If you have a problem with grinding your teeth, clenching your jaw, or any other actions that can wear down your teeth, you'll need to talk with your dentist about protection. You may need to have a mouth guard to wear at night to ensure that you don't accidentally crack your crown.

Choose a Careful Diet

Another thing many people don't think about when they get a dental crown is the effect that their diet can have on its lifespan. When you have a crown it is dangerous to regularly chew ice cubes or chips. Ice is hard, and it can damage the crown. 

The same applies to other hard foods, like hard candies and some fresh vegetables. You'll also want to avoid particularly sticky foods, such as taffy, because those foods can stick to your crown and potentially pull it off the tooth.

Visit Your Dentist

Your routine dental visits are just as important after you get a crown as they are beforehand. Your dentist will help you to keep the teeth and gums around the crown as clean and healthy as possible, and they will clean the crown as well so that it doesn't get stained or discolored.

These are some of the things that you need to know when it comes to taking care of a dental crown. If your dentist is suggesting a crown for a problem tooth, consider these tips to get the longest possible life out of that crown.

Speak with a dentist in your area for more information about dental crowns.