Dental crowns are a great way to restore damaged teeth, improve your smile or provide protection and rehabilitation after a root canal. No matter why you have your crown, you’ll want to look after it so it is a long-lasting tooth for you to use and enjoy!
At Jacksonville Gentle Dentistry, we use high-grade porcelain material for our restorative dental crowns. While crowns are available that have metal content or are created using other materials, we have found that porcelain offers strength, looks most natural, and are long-lasting for the best results.
Every dental crown requires a little more care, including being more cautious about what you eat. As you prepare to have a crown placed or if you’ve recently had a dental crown placed to improve your smile, be sure to avoid certain foods to keep your crown in great shape and looking its best!
Avoid Hard Foods: While nuts are high in protein, they can be problematic on teeth that are in need of restoration or any restored teeth. Hard snacks can cause unnecessary pressure on teeth, lodge into tight spaces and cause teeth to fracture.
Eat Soft Foods: Cook vegetables thoroughly so they are softer, easier to chew, and avoid any unnecessary damage to your other teeth.
Avoid Chewing on Ice: If you have a habit of crunching down on ice, like hard foods, it’s time to kick this habit! Chewing ice can crack or chip even the most robust and strong teeth plus unintentionally dislodge a dental crown. Stopping an ice-chewing habit is a good practice for the health of everyone’s teeth!
Avoid Sticky Foods: As you might suspect, chewing gums, gummy candy, jelly beans, taffy, and caramel or toffee are best avoided with dental crowns. These chewy snacks act like a glue to your dental crown (and your natural teeth too) and can create a pulling effect that could loosen or damage a crown, filling, or any temporary dental fixture.
Stay Away from Sugary Foods: It’s best to avoid sugary foods and candy no matter what kind of dental work you have had done! Foods and snacks that are high in sugar content have a natural tendency to deposit sugars deep in the crevice of teeth. Because dental crowns are made to be realistic, these porcelain crowns also have natural-like crevices. Skip the sugary snack that can allow sugars to settle into the teeth and serve as a breeding ground for bacteria and plaque build-up.
To prolong the life of your teeth and gums, continue your recommended brushing and flossing routine and visit your dentist for checkups and care at the frequency recommended by your dentist for your dental situation.
Are you in need of a dental checkup or considering having a dental crown placed? Call us at (904) 731-1919 or contact us! We are experts in beautiful, restorative dental crowns in our unique, family dental practice in Jacksonville, Florida