How to Protect Your Damaged Dental Crowns

Dental Crowns

A dental crown is a metal, ceramic, or porcelain crown that is custom made to fit over the tooth from the chewing surface to the gums. To place a dental crown, a dentist begins by treating the underlying issue, such as tooth decay or an infected pulp. After that, a dental filling material is placed as needed to improve the underlying structure. The tooth is shaped to hold the crown, and then the crown is slide over the tooth. This process typically requires two appointments.

What Causes Damaged Dental Crowns

There are a number of ways this type of crown can become chipped, cracked, warped, or misaligned.

• Caries: If the decay damages the enamel beneath the crown, it may become dislodged or begin to slip off of the tooth.
• Malocclusion: Undue pressure can be put on the crown from an improper bite, causing it to shift, fracture or chip.
• Injury: Oral trauma or the force of an accident can crack, chip, or misalign the crown.
• Teeth grinding: Some people suffer from a condition known as bruxism, in which they grind their teeth together due to stress, misalignment, or other oral problems. Teeth grinding can wear down the chewing surface or break a crown.
• Poor dental habits: Behaviors such as biting on ice cubes and using the teeth to open packages can damage the crown. Additionally, failing to properly brush, floss, and rinse the teeth can damage the crown by raising the risk for decay, gum disease, or other issues in the surrounding enamel.

What Are the Symptoms of Damaged Crowns?

You may have a damaged crown when:

• You see a hole, crack, chip, or any other abnormality with your crown when you brush and floss your teeth.
• You see that your gums have become more sensible to heat, cold, and pressure near your crown.
• Your teeth feel misaligned all of a sudden.
• You notice a sharp or rough texture on the chewing surface of your mouth or the sides of your teeth.

How to Protect Dental Crown

Excellent oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups have been shown to lengthen the duration of many tooth crowns. Although it may seem like a hassle to take an extra few minutes every day to floss and brush your teeth, those extra few minutes can extend the life of your cosmetic dental crown and save you money on a replacement.

Your cosmetic dentist should be able to tell you beforehand if your cosmetic dental crown will likely need to be replaced at some point down the road. The better the crown is cared for, the longer its lifespan is likely to be. Poor eating or hygiene habits may force you to undergo crown replacements sooner than would have been necessary.

Contact Dr Aki Shirakura for Dental Crown Procedure

If you would like to undergo a dental crown procedure, call the office of Dr Aki Shirakura today. Our staffs is dedicated to addressing and meeting the needs and expectations of each and every patient who walks through our doors, and we will give you the individualized professional care that you need and deserve. You can call us at (914) 303-6150 or email: draki@drakicosmeticdentist.com.