When you have a large cavity or a damaged tooth, you can visit Metro Dental Health in Fairfax, Va., to learn if you are a candidate for a dental crown. In order to have a dental crown right away, you must have a healthy mouth without any gingivitis. A dental crown is placed over the original tooth to protect it from damage while you chew food. In some cases, our dentist can make a dental crown for a damaged tooth in only one office visit.
Keep Your Dental Crowns In Top-notch Condition
First, our dentist will drill into the natural tooth to remove the bacteria and decay. It is essential to have the infection portion of the tooth removed in case the cavity has reached the soft tissue inside the tooth (called the pulp), including the pulp and nerves. Our dentist will fill the interior portion of the tooth with a durable substance before placing a beautiful customized crown over the natural tooth.
Dental Crown Tip 1: Continue To Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day
You should continue to brush your teeth at least twice a day, but make sure to use the toothpaste recommended by our dentist. To avoid scratching your dental crown, it is important to use non-abrasive toothpaste, but when you have natural teeth in addition to dental crowns, you should also use fluoride toothpaste to prevent cavities.
Dental Crown Tip 2: Use Dental Floss At Least Once a Day
Choose a type of dental floss that will slide between your dental crowns and along the gums to remove additional food debris. If you have a combination of natural teeth and dental crowns, then you may need several varieties of floss to fit between your teeth. Make sure to use a gentle sliding motion while sliding the floss between your teeth and below the crown margin to clean the gap between crown edge and tooth.
Dental Crown Tip 3: Buy a Water Flosser Appliance
For patients with large gaps, us of water with pressure could be helpful. If you buy a water flosser, then you can blast away food debris and dental plaque with highly pressurized water. Oral irrigator devices have tanks that you fill with water, and this water travels through the wand. You pass the wand over your natural teeth and dental crowns so that the highly pressurized water removes the particles of food that are difficult to reach inside your mouth.
Dental Crown Tip 4: Use Interdental Brushes Designed For Dental Crowns
In addition to a regular toothbrush and an oral irrigator, you can use interdental brushes. These items are available in local drugstores, and you can find an assortment of styles or sizes to meet your needs. An interdental brush is designed for fitting between your dental crowns or natural teeth, but you should never force the device into a space.
Dental Crown Tip 5: Rinse Your Mouth With Mouthwash
You can also remove bacteria from your mouth with mouthwash, but make sure to choose brands that don’t irritate your gum tissue. Using mouthwash can improve your breath along with helping to prevent infections of your soft oral cavity tissues.
As always for more customized tips specific to you, please visit us at Metro Dental Health and we will help you find out what tools or materials fit the best for your needs to prevent future dental problems such as cavities or gum disease.
