Restrictions Applicable after Getting Dental Crown Restorations

After having a new dental crown fitted over your damaged tooth, you leave the office of the dentist near me with a droopy expression from the anesthesia you received during the procedure. You appear satisfied that the newly crowned tooth can henceforth function correctly and appear suitable when being used. However, are you aware of some restrictions applicable to you for some time until you recover from the dental crown procedure?

Your tooth and gums need some time to recover from the dental crown placement. Therefore, you must try to protect your restored tooth and sore gums, which makes it essential for you to impose certain restrictions upon yourself. While you may not prefer restricting yourself, holding yourself back for some time until you recover proves beneficial for your oral hygiene because it helps prolong the lifespan of the dental crown.

What Restrictions Must You Apply on Yourself after Dental Crown Restorations?

Eating Immediately after Dental Crown Placement

Your mouth remains numb for approximately two to three hours after dental crown placement. The anesthesia administered does not allow you to feel any sensation in your teeth, gums, and tongue. As a result, you may bite yourself instead of foods when you try eating with a numb mouth. Therefore you must avoid eating anything until the numbness wears off.

Can I Smoke after Getting Crowns?

You may think the dental crown procedure shouldn’t hold you back from lighting up soon after leaving the dental office with your new crown. However, are you aware smoking can discolor the restorations and even cause you to lose them? Besides staining your teeth, smoking also makes you susceptible to gum disease. Gum disease can cause your gums to recede and eventually result in total loss. Would you like to compromise your dental restoration to the vagaries of different infections and discoloration? If not, we recommend you quit or delay smoking for as long as possible after getting dental crowns.

Avoid Sticky and Hard Foods

The time you spend at the office of the dentist in Phoenix, AZ, isn’t sufficient for the cement applied to the dental crown to firmly attach to your natural teeth. Therefore if you apply pressure to the tooth soon after dental crown placement, the restoration may move into an undesirable or uncomfortable position. You can even loosen the crown and require reinstallation by scheduling another appointment with the dentist. Therefore while you can have soft foods, you must avoid sticky and hard foods like caramel, coffee, and raisins.

Stay away from these foods for the initial 24 hours after completing the dental crown procedure. If you desire better results, you can avoid eating sticky and hard foods for a few days to allow more time to cure the dental cement.

Do Not Lift the Crown from the Restored Tooth

As the dental cement sets, you must be careful when flossing around the restored tooth. Instead of lifting dental floss from the tooth when flossing, try to glide the floss off the tooth. Lifting dental floss from the tooth can cause the restoration to loosen and allow bacteria and disease to affect the underlying tooth.

Do Not Tolerate An Incorrectly Fitted Dental Crown

If your dental restoration doesn’t seem correctly fitted, there is no reason for you to tolerate discomfort. However, sometimes dental crown placement happens too high to cause and send you constant pain. In addition, an improperly fitted crown causes complications when timely adjustments are not made. Therefore contact your dentist’s office right away to have them correct the placement.

Caring for Your Gums

Besides having soft foods after your dental crown procedure, you experience soreness in your gums where the crown placement happened. Do not rely on the dentist to relieve every discomfort you confront. Instead, make a saltwater rinse in warm water and use it to soothe the gums for about five minutes before spitting the saltwater out. You can repeat this home remedy as many times as you want because the saltwater cleans and disinfects your gums while drying open wounds.

Finally, do not forget to maintain excellent dental hygiene because your crowned tooth can sustain damages if not cared for appropriately. You must brush and floss your teeth as recommended by your dentist and try to avoid biting complex foods with the crowned tooth for fear of damaging it. If you care for the restored tooth appropriately, you can extend its lifespan to have it in your mouth or over a decade.

If you want restorations for your damaged teeth with dental crowns, please schedule an appointment with Brookstone Dental Care to receive your crowns and after-care instructions to prolong their lifespan.