After Care – Crown & Bridge
Crowns and bridges usually take two or three appointments to complete. On the first appointment the teeth are prepared. Temporary crowns or bridges are placed to protect the teeth while the custom restoration is being made. After each appointment when anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth, and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off.
Sensitivity Sensitivity, especially to cold, is common for a time following treatment. For the first few days avoid extremely hot or cold foods and beverages. It is normal to have some discomfort in the gums around the tooth after the anesthesia wears off due to the procedure. If your gums are tender, rinse with warm salt water, dissolving ½ teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz. glass of warm water. An analgesic such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen (Advil) will help to increase your comfort.
Temporary Having a crown or bridge made for you will take multiple appointments. A temporary crown is a plastic crown or bridge that is made the day of the crown preparation and is placed on the teeth while the final restoration is being made. The temporary serves a very important purpose. It protects the exposed tooth so it is less sensitive, prevents food and bacteria from collecting on the prepared teeth, and prevents the tooth from shifting or moving, which can make seating of the final restoration more difficult. If your bite feels unbalanced or the temporary crown feels high once your tooth wakes up from the anesthetic, please be sure to call our office for an appointment for a simple adjustment The temporary is placed with very lightweight cement that is designed to come off easily so avoid chewing sticky foods or crunchy foods that could dislodge or break the temporary crown Use your toothbrush to clean the temporary as you normally do your other teeth. However, when flossing, it is best to pull the floss through the contact rather than lift up on the temporary so you don’t accidentally loosen the temporary. If your temporary comes off between appointments, slip it back on and call our office so that we can recement it for you. A little Vaseline, denture adhesive or a crown repair kit material (such as Dentatemp) from the pharmacy placed inside the crown can help to hold it in place in the interim. Final Crown or Bridge After the final cementation of your restoration, it may take a few days to get used to the new crown or bridge. If your bite feels unbalanced, please be sure to call our office for an appointment for a simple adjustment. Home Care Refrain from eating until the anesthesia has worn off to prevent possible injury to your lips and cheeks. Although crowns and bridges are often the most durable of all restorations, the underlying tooth is still vulnerable to decay, especially at the interface between the tooth and crown. It is important to resume regular brushing and flossing immediately. Daily home care and decreasing your intake of sugar-containing foods and drinks will increase the longevity of your new restoration