After Crown or Bridge Treatment
- At your first appointment for crown or bridge treatment, an acrylic temporary is placed on the tooth or teeth involved. This protects and stabilizes them while the permanent restoration is being produced.
- Temporary cement is used so that the temporary can be easily removed at your next appointment. Therefore, you need to avoid sticky foods or chewing gum. Avoiding hard foods like hard candy, chips or nuts is also a good idea. Using a water pic is not recommended.
- Proper brushing and flossing especially at the gumline is recommended to help your gums heal after the preparation and ultimately to retain your final restoration. When flossing your temporary, floss down into the gums and pull out toward your cheek rather than back up so you do not dislodge the temporary.
- If your temporary crown comes off before your next appointment, place the temporary back on your tooth and call our office. If you have been provided with a kit to recement your temporary, clean & dry both the temporary and your tooth. Practice placing the crown on your tooth before cementing to get the correct orientation. Mix new cement and apply to the inside of your temporary crown. Place crown firmly on your tooth & remove excess cement with the gauze.
- With your temporary crown and with your permanent crown, you may experience some discomfort due to irritation of the area during the treatment procedures. You may also notice sensitivity to cold or pressure. If you cannot comfortably chew on the temporary or permanent crown after a few days, it may be too high and require an adjustment. Please call us for a quick adjustment appointment at your earliest convenience. We want to seat the permanent crown on an asymptomatic tooth and we want you to be comfortable.
- Your new permanent crown will be shaped and shaded especially to your teeth in color and fit. The temporary crown is made to serve you temporarily, so its color and fit are not custom-matched to your teeth.
Please follow these home care instructions carefully and call this office if you have any questions or concerns.
