Getting a Dental Crown? Here’s What to Expect Afterward

The need for a dental crown can result from various circumstances: having a large cavity, having a root canal, having a small or oddly shaped tooth, or restoring a dental implant. Regardless of what procedure comes before it, getting a dental crown is a great step forward to achieving a more confident, healthy smile. However, there are certain things you should know once you receive the crown.

After You Get a Temporary Crown

When you require a crown, it must be fabricated in the dental lab, which can take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you wear a temporary crown to protect the tooth. With this short-term prosthetic, you need to keep these concepts in mind.

Numbness from the Anesthetic

Likely, you were given a local anesthetic to prevent you from feeling pain during the procedure. Until this numbness wears off, you should not attempt to eat solid foods or drink hot beverages because you could accidentally bite your tongue or cheek or burn yourself. While numb, your body won’t be able to signal harm in your mouth, so it’s safest to wait until you have full feeling back.

Sensitivity and Discomfort

As a result of the work being done in your mouth, you may have slight swelling and some sensitivity or even discomfort. Fortunately, this issue should be temporary and fade within a few days. While you’re dealing with discomfort, you may take over-the-counter pain reliever and avoid triggering a response by staying away from hot, cold, sugary, or acidic foods or beverages.

Diet and Hygiene

Your temporary crown is not fitted specifically for your mouth, and the cement is not as solid or stable as it will be for your personalized one. As a result, you should try to eat with the opposite side of your mouth or avoid eating with the temporary crown as much as possible. When you do eat, you should try to stay away from sticky or overly hard foods, which could cause the temporary crown to come off prematurely.

Also, while you definitely should continue flossing every night, you may skip your temporary crown. If you need to floss, such as if you have a stuck piece of food between the crown and a tooth, make sure you slide it gently up and down. Pulling hard can remove the temporary crown.

After You Get Your Custom Crown Placed

Although you may feel hesitant to use your brand-new crown right away, you are free to eat your normal diet. However, you may want to skip particularly sticky foods for about 24 hours to allow the cement to fully cure. After that point, you can treat your crown as you would a natural tooth by brushing and flossing every day and continuing to go in for checkups and cleanings every six months.

Ultimately, recovering from getting a dental crown isn’t difficult, but following these tips and keeping these concepts in mind can make the overall experience more enjoyable and smoother for you!

About the Practice

With Dr. Gregory Craybas and the rest of the team at Creative Dental Concepts, our patients are told what to expect and how to handle the aftermath of dental procedures. As a result, you can have peace of mind following treatment. With years of training and experience, we make the crown process as pleasant as possible. To learn more about dental crowns, or if you have questions about caring for your crown, contact our Syracuse office online or call us at 315-475-6641.