A dental crown is a restoration procedure that brings great relief to people who’ve dealt with sensitivity and discomfort caused by tooth decay. There’s a misconstrued notion that you don’t have to be overly attentive about your oral health once you get your new dental crown. However, many find out, albeit too late that your dental crown may not be your real crown but it is also just as likely to suffer decay.
How Decay Occurs Under A Dental Crown
As part of your restoration procedure, you may have a dental crown covering only part of your tooth or it may extend under your gums. Note that while the dental crown is stronger, it is still connected to part of your natural tooth structure.
As a result, if you fail to practice good oral care and hygiene, you set yourself up for another dental crowning procedure in the future. This is because the only way to treat tooth decay under a dental crown is by removing the old crown, clearing and disinfecting the decay, and installing another fresh dental crown.
How Do You Avoid Tooth Decay Under A Dental Crown?
As a rule of thumb, anyone who has teeth is supposed to regularly brush and floss their teeth at least twice a day. The fact that you have a dental crown installed means that you need to be extra careful about how you brush and floss.
Focus more on the areas where your natural tooth meets with your crown. Here’s where food particles are likely to get stuck, where a plaque is likely to accumulate, and where bad bacteria like to hide. You may need a special toothbrush to help you clean your teeth better just to be sure that every time you do brush your teeth, they are left completely clean.
These are the simple practices that will keep you safe from decay and prolong the years of service your dental crown gives you.
What More Can You Do To Prevent Tooth Decay?
- Honor Your Dental Appointments: Dental appointments are not only meant for checkups. It is during such meetings with your dentists where budding tooth decay issues can be isolated and dealt with appropriately.
- Avoid Hard And Sugary Foods: Decay-causing bacteria thrive on sugary areas. If you love taking candy or drinking sugary beverages, you might want to tone it down or eliminate them completely. Alternatively, hard foods can get stuck in between your teeth which, if left unchecked, could end up causing tooth
When tooth decay is detected early, there’s less chance it will cause extensive destruction to your tooth or your artificial dental crown. With the help of equipment like X-ray machines, it is easy for the dentist to see where the problem is to address it. If detected too late, tooth decay under the crown can make you undergo a root canal procedure. Above is some useful insight on how you can deal with decay under your dental crown.
