The life span of a crown depends on the amount of “wear and tear” the crown is exposed to, how well you follow good oral hygiene practices and your personal habits.
Avoid habits such as: chewing ice, biting your fingernails, using your teeth to open packages and grinding or clenching your teeth.
The ceramic crown has been bonded to the surface your tooth and like the enamel of your own tooth, the ceramic crown is not indestructible.
While a crowned tooth does not require any special care, remember that simply because a tooth is crowned does not mean the underlying tooth is protected from decay or gum disease. Therefore, continue to follow good oral hygiene practices, including brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once a day – especially around the crown area where the gum meets the tooth.
To best care for your crown:
- Do not chew ice or hard candy, chew on bones, or chew caramels.
- Do not use your ceramic crown as a tool to open bottles, chew on pens or open packaging, candy wrappers, potato chip bags, etc.
- Be aware that excessive amounts of coffee, tea, soy sauce, grape juice, red wine or smoking will stain the ceramic crown over time.
- If you play a sport, you must be careful not to subject the ceramic crown to a direct blow. You should have a plastic protective sport guard constructed if you play sports such as handball, racquetball, soccer, basketball, football, hockey, roller blading or sports where an errant elbow or stick could hit your ceramic crown.
If you know that you grind your teeth or brux your teeth it is important that a protective niteguard is made to protect the ceramic crown from excessive stress.
It is important to spend time everyday to meticulously remove food debris and plaque from your ceramic crown. It is important to maintain regular hygiene and oral exam appointments to maximize the longevity and integrity of your restoration. This also allows us to monitor for gum disease and decay.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call 617.566.5445