For missing, broken, or damaged teeth, a crown serves both your smile and your overall dental health.
For missing, broken, or damaged teeth, a crown serves both your smile and your overall dental health. After investing in a crown, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking great care of it. A few helpful tips for taking the very best care of dental crowns are:
- Avoid sticky or hard foods – While that piece of caramel candy might be tempting, the damage could last much longer than the delicious flavor when it comes to your crowns. While crowns are made from durable and strong materials, any foods or substances that can harm your natural teeth can harm your crowns just as easily – and this means you’ll need to be careful about enjoying sticky and hard foods. With crowns in particular, sticky foods can get trapped between the crown and the gumline, which will weaken or loosen your crown over time.
- Use a night guard – More people grind and clench their teeth during the night than may realize it. If you have crowns, a night guard can help both your natural teeth and your crowns while you’re asleep. A simple night guard is comfortable and easy to get used to wearing, and it can make a world of difference for the health of your mouth.
- Brush and floss around your crowns – While a crown may be different from a natural tooth, that doesn’t mean it can be neglected. Whether you have one crown, a couple of crowns, or several, it’s crucial to brush your crowns gently, floss around them, and treat them just as you’d treat your natural teeth. Brushing and flossing isn’t just for teeth, it’s for gum and general dental health as well.
- Use a mouthwash without alcohol – Along with brushing and flossing, using a mouthwash daily can help to eliminate bad bacteria from your mouth and around your crown. When selecting a mouthwash, one without alcohol has a few benefits. First and foremost, alcohol-free mouthwash is gentler on your teeth and gums, so it’ll be gentler on your crowns as well. Additionally, mouthwash without alcohol is less likely to dry out your mouth and it’s more comfortable to swish with as it doesn’t burn like others.
With regular care, your crown can remain healthy, strong, and beautiful for a decade or longer. The key is treating your crown like you would a natural tooth and providing your natural teeth with the utmost care.
