Tips To Prevent Dental Crown Damage

If you have a crown placed on one of your teeth, then you likely had a root canal procedure, a tooth break, or a large cavity in the tooth. A dental crown is necessary to cap, rebuild, and protect the damaged tooth so it does not need to be pulled from the jaw. A variety of materials can be used to create dental crowns, including steel, ceramic, and gold. Most dental crowns are all porcelain or ceramic varieties, and these devices will last an average of 15 years. Crowns can fail though over time, and most issues occur due to improper care. To avoid failure and the need for a premature replacement, follow the tips below.

Use The Best Cleaning Tools

Dental crowns are made with the assistance of a dental mold of your damaged tooth. The mold is utilized to form the porcelain and the material is thinned out along the edges so that the bottom of the crown can fit just below the gum tissues. While this type of formation is needed to protect the bottom part of the tooth and to also ensure the natural appearance of the crown, it creates a small lip. The lip underneath the gums can allow bacteria to collect. The microorganisms can inflame the gum tissues and cause the formation of a cavity. Both of these things can result in the loss of more natural tooth material and the need for a new dental crown.

You can prevent these issues by making sure that you clean around the dental crown lip. Since the lip sits below the gums, flushing the area with water is wise. A water flosser can help with this. If you do decide to purchase this kind of device, make sure to buy a pocket tip for it. This type of attachment features a thin and small tip that allows you to direct water underneath the gums. 

Once you purchase the flosser, look out for any indications that the gums are inflamed or infected around the dental crown. If this happens, then you will need to flush the area with a solution that will help kill the bacteria. You can add several different things to the reservoir of your water flosser to help with this. Five drops of tea tree oil, two teaspoons of sea salt, one quarter cup of antibacterial mouthwash, or one-eighth of a cup of a hydrogen peroxide are all good choices. Use your flosser normally after placing the additive in the reservoir and make sure to thoroughly rinse it out when you are done. Hydrogen peroxide and mouthwash should only be used every two or three days to rinse the mouth because they will dry out the gum tissues. However, tea tree oil and sea salt can be used daily until the inflammation subsides.

Think About A Mouth Guard

Porcelain is a relatively brittle material on its own, and the tooth underneath the material helps to give the porcelain its strength. Dental enamel is the strongest substance in the entire body, on the other hand. This means that the natural teeth are much harder than your dental crown, and certain activities may not harm the teeth, but they may crack the crown. In comparison, porcelain can withstand about 16,000 pounds per square inch of pressure, while the dental enamel can withstand pressure many times more than this. While the bite force of the mouth is not likely to exceed 275 pounds per square inch, the teeth are meant to withstand this type of pressure consistently over the course of a lifetime. Porcelain is not meant to stay strong against high levels of pressure. 

This means that you should be careful not to bite down too hard on your dental crown. You also should think about investing in a custom made dental guard to wear when you play sports. Your dentist can make one of these guards for you, so make sure to ask for one well before you decide to participate in a sports activity. For more information, contact a company like Hurst Family Dental.


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