Dental crowns help protect and restore teeth so that you do not have to have these teeth removed. The alternative to a dental crown is to have a broken tooth surgically removed, which yields several other dental and oral issues. Dr. Tyler McCabe, D.M.D., an Ocean Springs emergency dentist, has fixed many broken teeth this way and helped patients keep the teeth they have. He will tell you that poor oral hygiene is a problem if you have dental crowns, and what you can do about it.
A Really Good Dental Crown Lasts
If you get a top-quality dental crown, one that is made of porcelain or porcelain over surgical steel, it is really hard for poor oral hygiene to damage the crown. What can happen, however, is that a cavity can develop below the gumline on the crowned tooth. The stump of a tooth covered by the crown becomes affected by the developing cavity. If left untreated, the cavity takes over the tooth under the crown and destroys the tooth.
For that reason, you still have to brush and floss a crowned tooth. There's a living tooth stump under that crown, and bacteria can still get to it despite the crown on top. While the crown isn't directly impacted by poor oral hygiene, the tooth underneath is.
Making Sure the Crown Fits Properly
When you get an Ocean Springs crown on a tooth, the dentist may have to sculpt and position it to get it to fit just right. An ill-fitting crown can cause inflammation and disease in your gums, something your Ocean Springs emergency dentist wants to avoid. Plan ahead to allow enough time to properly fit the crown so that you don't experience these issues.
Poor Oral Hygiene Doesn't Damage the Crown Itself
If you are questioning whether or not poor oral hygiene affects the actual crown itself, it does not. Crowns cannot get cavities, which is good, but it is not helpful if your poor oral hygiene impacts the tooth under the crown. Other things like grinding your teeth can negatively impact a crown directly, causing the crown to wear down faster and possibly crack or break. Talk to Dr. McCabe about an oral appliance to protect your crowned teeth if you grind your teeth at night.
Make an Appointment with McCabe Dental for Crowns
Dr. McCabe in Ocean Springs can crown on tooth any of your teeth that need it. In emergency situations where you have had part of a tooth knocked out, Dr. McCabe can restore that tooth or teeth with temporary crowns until a permanent one is made. Give McCabe Dental a call today.