Dental crowns have lots of uses. Designed to surround the entire visible part of a tooth, a crown can strengthen the tooth, protect it from damage, and restore it so it looks healthy and beautiful. 

Getting a crown takes two office visits, and between the two visits, your prepared tooth needs some extra protection. As a top-rated dentist in Yardley, Pennsylvania, Phillip Halper, DDS, uses temporary crowns as part of the process for patients receiving a crown at Yardley Family Dental. 

If a dental crown is in your future, here’s how to care for a temporary crown until your permanent crown is ready.

Why you need a temporary crown

Crowns have lots of uses. Depending on your needs, a crown can be used to:

• Repair a tooth badly damaged by decay
• Cover a dark filling or discolored tooth
• Improve the contours of a worn or misshapen tooth
• Strengthen a tooth used to support a bridge
• Restore a tooth following a root canal

Each crown is individually crafted to fit the contours of the tooth it’s covering and to match the tint of the neighboring teeth. As a result, most crown treatments take two office visits — the first to prepare your tooth for the crown and make a mold to create the crown and the second to affix the permanent crown to your tooth. 

At that first visit, we shape the tooth that’s receiving the crown so the new crown will fit comfortably. That process involves removing some of the natural tooth material. But this leaves the tooth prone to sensitivity and damage unless it’s protected. 

A temporary crown provides that protection until you return to the office for the permanent crown. It also helps your smile look its best and maintains the tooth’s function.

Protecting your temporary crown

Temporary crowns are durable, but they can be broken or chipped or come loose. One big difference between temporary and permanent crowns is how they’re attached to the tooth. A temporary crown uses a weaker adhesive so it’s easier to remove when the permanent crown is ready. The adhesive is still strong, but you do have to take a little extra care to keep the crown from loosening or coming out.

1. Be mindful of how you eat

It’s OK to chew on the side of your mouth where your temporary crown is located, but it’s best if you can use that side sparingly. Even though the crown material is tough, the temporary crown material and the adhesive used to bond it to your tooth aren’t designed for permanence.

2. Watch what you eat

Your temporary crown is durable, but it’s not designed to withstand extreme pressures, like biting down on hard objects. In general, avoid chewing or biting on ice, hard crunchy foods, or non-food items like pencils. You should also avoid chewing gum and other chewy or sticky foods because they could loosen your temporary crown or dislodge it completely.

3. Brush and floss carefully

You still need to keep the teeth around your crown clean, but it’s important to treat the area gently when brushing and flossing. For one, the area may be tender after the temporary crown is first placed on your tooth. Plus, if you’re too aggressive with your toothbrush, you could loosen the temporary crown. 

When flossing your teeth, just work around the crown until you get your permanent one affixed. If you need to remove debris around the crown that your brush can’t reach, avoid the normal up-and-down flossing motion.

To safely floss around the temporary crown, gently glide the floss into the space between the crown and the neighboring teeth as usual, but remove the floss by pulling one end out through the side of the tooth at the gumline rather than popping the floss back out the way it went in.

4. Report a damaged crown right away

If your temporary crown gets cracked or broken or if it comes loose or pops out, don’t ignore it. Call the office right away to schedule an emergency visit, so we can replace it. 

If your temporary crown comes off completely, gently clean it with plain water and place it back over your tooth to protect it until you can come in for your appointment. You can use denture adhesive to help hold it in place temporarily.

If you have questions about your temporary crown or the crown placement process, we’re happy to answer them. Contact Yardley Family Dental by calling 724-271-8087 today.