Caring For Your New Crown
Congratulations on your new crown! Your permanent crown is now cemented in place, rebuilding the tooth under a strong layer of porcelain. With the right care, a well-made crown can last for many, many years. Here is everything you need to know.
The First Few Days
- Wait on the numbness. Avoid chewing until it resolves so you do not bite your cheek, lip, or tongue.
- Mild sensitivity to cold or pressure can last a few days as the tooth settles, then fades.
- Tender gums around the crown for a day or two are normal. Warm salt water rinses help.
Eating & Comfort
- Wait until numbness is fully gone before you eat.
- Once cemented, eat normally. Your crown is built to handle full chewing.
- For lingering sensitivity, a sensitivity toothpaste such as Sensodyne helps it resolve faster.
What To Expect
- Your bite may feel slightly different at first. Give it a few days to feel natural.
- The crown will not get a cavity, but the natural tooth underneath still can at the gum line. That is where your care goes.
- It may feel smoother or different to your tongue than your old tooth. That is normal.
Call Us If
- Your bite feels high or uneven once the numbness wears off. This is a quick adjustment.
- Sensitivity or pain is getting worse after a week instead of better.
- Your crown comes loose or falls off.
- You notice swelling or a bad taste that will not go away.
How To Make Your Crown Last As Long As Possible
Here is the key thing to understand: the porcelain crown itself cannot get a cavity. Bacteria cannot eat through it. But they can get underneath it at the gum line. That is the one place a crown is vulnerable, so that is exactly where you focus.
- Keep the gum line spotless. Brush right where the crown meets the gum, on both the cheek side and the tongue side. That is where bacteria try to sneak underneath.
- Floss the front and the back of the crown every day to clear out what the brush cannot reach.
- Keep your regular cleanings. This is how we clean below the gum line and under the crown far more thoroughly than you can at home. It is the biggest factor in how long your crown lasts.
Do these three things and your crown can protect your tooth for decades!
Questions about your crown or your recovery? Call the office anytime. We are here for you!
