Why Proper Dental Hygiene Is Even More Important After You Get A Crown

Dental hygiene -- brushing, flossing, mouthwash use, and so on -- is always important, but it becomes even more important after you get a crown. While a good, strong crown protects the tooth, the crown and the tooth it's on can develop problems if you don't take care of the crowned tooth properly. You don't need to make special changes to your regimen if you're already following good protocols (save for one easy modification), but if you thought you could slack off a bit given that the crown is artificial, you'd be taking an unnecessary risk.

Prevent Gums From Receding -- and Uncovering the Crown

Without the right care, your gums could still recede on the tooth with the crown. Because the edge of the crown has to match up with the edge of your gums in order to look natural, a receding gum line would ruin the effect. You'd end up with a noticeable line between the crown and the gums. This line can look very dark, especially if the crown is made of porcelain-covered metal, and that can show up very easily when it's next to that bright white crown.

Prevent Staining and Mismatched Tooth Color

Once the crown is installed, you have to be careful not to let the crown or the teeth surrounding it take on stains. It is difficult to remove some types of stains from crown material. That means watching what you eat and drink, and brushing properly to get rid of forming stains. You want the crown and the surrounding teeth to stay as close in color as possible.

Prevent Tooth Pain From Sensitivity

It is possible that the tooth under the crown could become sensitive, especially if the gums recede. By brushing with a sensitive-tooth toothpaste (this is the easy modification mentioned before), you can reduce or stop that sensitivity. However, if you neglect to brush the crowned tooth well, you might not see the relief you need.

Regular dental hygiene also helps you find additional issues, like a crown becoming loose, before they turn into massive problems that require a lot more work. If you think you're developing a problem with a crowned tooth, contact your dentist to have it checked. Crowns can last several years with the right care, and you don't want the health of the crowned tooth or the teeth around it to cause the crown to fail. Contact a dentist, like Jeffrey S. Thaller DMD, for more help.

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