After a crown placement, proper aftercare is essential to help stop dislodging and cavity formation and prolong the crowns’ life span.
Crowns will restore your missing teeth and give you a better smile. Dental Crowns will be in good shape and should provide you with years of beautiful smiles if you observe the following suggestions.
This guide explains the aftercare for temporary and permanent dental crowns. Please read it carefully:
For Your Temporary Crown:
There are some temporary crown post-op instructions if you have temporary crowns placed while your permanent ones are prepared.
General Guidelines:
• It is normal to have grown sensitivity to hot and cold foods and beverages.
• If the temporary crown is dislocated or breaks, please call us to arrange a recementing session or repair the crowns.
Diet & Drinking:
• Avoid eating hard, sticky, or chewy foods on the side of the mouth with a temporary crown. (caramel, chewing gum, hard candy). These foods can potentially dislodge or damage your temporary crown.
• Avoid eating or drinking for two hours after your crowns treatment session.
• Don’t eat until the anesthesia is gone. You might chew your cheek or lip.
• Make sure your chewing is done on the other side of the mouth.
• You can drink water anytime.
Smoking & Alcohol:
• Cut smoking and drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours after each preparation session.
Oral Hygiene:
• Avoid flossing the area around your temporary crown.
• Brush your teeth gently to avoid harming the temporary crown.
• If the gums around the temporary crown become sensitive, wash your mouth four times a day with a warm saltwater solution (1 tsp salt to 1 cup water).
Medication:
• Take painkillers twice a day to ease the pain and control the sensitivity sensations.
For Your Permanent Crown:
After receiving your dental crowns, we recommend following these simple steps to prolong this investment in your mouth and ensure they will last you for years to come.
General Guideline:
• Please check if your bite is not balanced, and give us a call if you notice that.
• Contact us directly if you see movement or looseness in the dental crown, sensitivity to sweet food, or breakage of the dental crown.
• It’s common to have lisp or pronunciation challenges after having new crowns and bridges fitted. The great news is that you can expect this to resolve quickly. Some dental patients complain of slight slurring, hissing, lisping, spitting, and problems with the sounds “th,” “f,” and “s.”
• It is expected to feel slight pressure and sensitivity to hot or cold for a few weeks.
• This is a non-invasive procedure. You might feel uncomfortable with the new crowns placed in your mouth. If you have had severe pain or irritation for longer than 12 days, please contact us.
• Some of the extra dental cement will come off. That is normal. Please, notify us if this continues after the second-week post-treatment.
Diet & Drinking:
• Don’t eat or drink for two hours after placing the crowns to avoid damaging the dental cement.
• Don’t eat until the anesthesia is gone. You might chew your cheek or lip.
• You can drink water anytime.
• Avoid too Hot/Cold foods and beverages to avoid the increased sensitivity for the first two weeks.
• We recommend slicing hard foods into smaller bits and avoiding sticky or chewy foods.
Smoking & Alcohol:
• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours after the crown’s placement.
Oral Hygiene:
• If you had gum modification, don’t floss for one week.
• Flush your mouth four times a day with a warm saltwater solution (1 tsp salt to 1 cup water) for the first two weeks.
• Use a soft toothbrush for the first two weeks to avoid gums bleeding, and please be gentle.
• Having fixed dental bridges requires additional cleaning underneath the pontic crown (missing tooth). Use a bridge threader to thread floss under it to clear plaque.
Brushing:
• Brush twice a day for at least 4 minutes.
• Pay special attention to your gumline. Plaque and oral bacteria at your gum line will evolve to decay that can damage your crown treatment.
• Don’t use an electric or supersonic toothbrush. It will hurt your gums and the surface of the crowns.
• Pay care and attention to the none treated teeth (teeth without crowns). They can be prone to decay and oral issues.
Flossing:
• Make sure you floss your teeth at least once a day.
• Insert your floss in between each tooth. You should hear a “pop sound.”
• Wrap the floss in each tooth and move it up and down to clear food and oral bacteria.
• You can use Water picks and Sonicare AirFloss to keep the bottom area of the open space between your teeth clean.
Fluoride:
• Use Prescription-strength fluoride to prevent new cavities and lower gum inflammation driven by oral bacteria.
• Fluoride also helps with tooth sensitivity and eases discomfort after dental crowns.
• Fluoride comes in gel, rinse toothpaste forms, and numerous flavors and strengths.
Dental Checkups:
• Every six months, dental checkups are essential! They will allow your dentist to detect any potential issues early and treat them before they get bigger and develop around the crowns. Consider having professional cleaning to remove hard and soft plaque and give your gum tissues cleaning.
• Try to visit the All On Dental clinic once a year. We will be happy to do deep checkups and teeth cleaning.
• Send us twice per year x-rays. We will check the teeth and crowns conditions. It is our requirement from you for our guarantee.
Questions:
We love questions, and we are here for you!
Please send us your questions about your treatment, or call us directly.
Your dentists have done their best to deliver you the best crafted dental crowns available today. However, only your continuing aftercare and consideration can guarantee optimum dental crowns longevity.