Dental Crown Charleston
What happens if you don’t protect a weakened tooth with a dental crown?
A dental crown is a tooth shaped cap that covers a tooth to restore its shape and size, strengthen, and/or improve the appearance of the tooth. Dental crowns protect weakened teeth so that further damage is not caused and more serious problems do not occur. The tooth is covered with the dental crown so that it won’ t crack or break off. So if a weak tooth remains without a crown, it can crack or break off. Depending on the severity of the damage, the weaker the tooth gets, the more difficult it may be to repair. The worst case scenario is that the tooth may become impossible to save.
Some teeth that require a crown may be susceptible to decay. So if they are not treated with crowns, the decay can spread and weaken the teeth further, and can even spread to adjacent teeth in some cases. Another reason a crown may be needed is to cover and support a tooth that has a large filling in it, but does not have enough tooth structure left to hold the filling in place. In this case, the tooth will become weaker if a crown is not placed and the patient can be prone to more serious problems like the tooth fracturing. Weakened teeth without a crown can also cause pain and discomfort to the patient if and when they do break.
Dental crowns are also used for cosmetic purposes to cover discolored teeth or dental implants that have been placed. So without a crown, the discolored teeth or metal implant abutments would continue to be exposed to onlookers.
What precautions should be taken with a temporary dental crown?
Since temporary dental crowns are placed using a cement that is not as strong as the cement used in permanent crowns, the temporary crowns can become dislodged or come off without the proper precautions. While wearing your temporary crown, you should put less stress on the side of the mouth with the temporary crown. You should also try not to chew sticky and hard foods with the teeth that have the temporary crowns to prevent the crowns from coming off or cracking.
Teeth with temporary crowns can be cleaned the same way as natural teeth. But less stress should be put on them when flossing especially, as the string might catch on the crown and pull it off if you are not careful. It is best to pull the floss through towards your cheek after flossing a temporary crown as opposed to pulling it up or down away from the gingiva as one normally does while flossing.
In case your temporary crown does become dislodged, contact your dentist for instructions on what to do, and to go in and get it re-cemented.
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Mouth Carolina Dentistry, PA - Dr. Andrew Greenberg
Dr. Andrew Greenberg completed his Bachelor’s Degree in New Orleans, Louisiana at Tulane University. He graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine in 2009, where he portrayed excellent academic performance. He exercises his academic brilliance to the benefit of his patients every day. He grew up in a family with a dental background and showed interest in the field since his early days.
