The science of dental crowns has revolutionized dental care. You can now replace a worn-out, weak, or decayed tooth. Although crowns are typically durable, vehicle and sports accidents, physical altercations, and biting hard objects can sometimes cut their lifespan. In such instances, your crown may chip, break, or fall off. Keep reading to know what to do if your dental crowns get chipped and how to prevent them from getting damaged.
How Do Dental Crowns Get Chipped
Dental crowns can sometimes be vulnerable to damage like regular teeth if you expose them to the wrong conditions or habits. Here are some habits that may cause chipping to your crowns.
Poor Dental Practices
Oral practices play a role in damaging dental crowns. Excessive pressure from certain habits may lead to chipping, fracturing, or cracking of dental restorations. Here are several dental habits to avoid if you have crowns:
- Chewing ice: Chewing ice is not suitable for your dental crowns. Ice is hard and requires pressure to chew and this may be too hard for a crown to handle. Moreover, ice exposes a dental crown to extremely low temperatures. Dental crown materials such as porcelain may weaken in such low temperatures.
- Opening bottles or packages using teeth: Repetitively using your teeth as a tool to open bottles and packages may weaken the crown’s structure as it experiences wear and tear. Also, you risk dislodging the crown from its proper position.
- Biting your fingernails: Biting nails can put immense pressure on your crown, potentially causing it to dislodge or break. Also, it exposes the crown edges to wear and tear, making it weaken over time.
- Consuming extremely sticky or chewy foods: Sticky foods such as caramel, raisins, popcorn, and candy may stick on the dental crowns and contribute to tooth decay and cavities. Avoid gum until your dentist gives you a thumbs-up, but still, opt for sugar-free chewing gum. Also, avoid hard foods such as granola, hard candy, or tough meats.
Teeth Grinding
Some people deal with a condition known as bruxism. It’s an involuntary, unconscious, and excessive grinding of teeth. Bruxism can hurt dental crowns as it exerts pressure on the dental crowns and causes wear and tear. As a result, it reduces their effectiveness and longevity. Bruxism may also loosen the dental crown, potentially dislodging it in the long run.
If you are suffering from bruxism, consult a family dentist. They may provide you with a night guard to deter bruxism while sleeping.
Poor Oral Hygiene
Although dental crowns are artificial and not susceptible to decay, they still require good oral hygiene. If bacteria builds up on the crown, they may seep underneath it and reach the underlying tooth structures. Tooth structures, such as the enamel, may suffer decay, infections, or gum diseases. Compromised tooth structures weaken the stability of the dental crown, which may even cause it to fall off. To prevent this, form a habit of brushing at least twice a day and flossing once daily. Also, periodically visit your dentist for professional teeth cleaning. Professional dentists can reach the hard-to-reach places to remove plaque and tartar.
Accidents
Accidents such as falls, sports injuries, and motor accidents may cause damage to the dental crown. The impact of an accident may exert excess force on the crown, causing it to break or become misaligned.
What to Do if Your Dental Crown Gets Chipped
What you do after your dental crown chips is crucial to ensuring your well-being. Proper steps can minimize bleeding, shield the crown from additional harm, and safeguard your oral health. Here is a breakdown of the steps to take if your crown gets chipped.
Assess the Damage
Carefully examine yourself if you notice that your dental crown has chipped. This helps determine if there are any missing pieces or if you might be bleeding. If you see any bleeding, hold clean gauze or cloth on the affected area. Continue pressing the gauze until the bleeding stops. Rinse your mouth with warm, salty water to get rid of bacteria and calm any inflammation. If the bleeding is too heavy, reach out to your dentist for emergency treatment.
Sometimes, the chipped part of the crown might not fall off and could remain loosely hanging. In such a scenario, consult your dentist. They will guide you on removing it to prevent accidents such as swallowing the chipped piece.
Preserve the Dental Crown
You will need to preserve the chipped dental crown until you visit your dentist. Clean it well and place it in a plastic bag. That will prevent it from getting dirty, attracting bacteria, or chipping further. Your dentist might still need it for any repairs they recommend.
Protect the Chipped Area
When your dental crown chips, it may create a sharp edge that may irritate your mouth or cause injuries. To prevent this, cover the sharp edge with dental repair resin or dental wax. You may find dental repair resin or wax in a drugstore near you. However, this is a temporary fix before seeing your dentist.
Book an Appointment With a Qualified Dentist
Call your dentist to explain what happened and how you feel if your dental crown chips. Take a picture of the chipped crown and send it to them. Based on the severity of the case, the dentist will determine if you will undergo emergency treatment, or you can schedule an appointment at a later date.
Once you finally visit the dentist, they will help you determine whether to repair the chipped crown or replace it in its entirety. If the damage is minor, your dentist may patch it together with a composite resin material. For significant damages, replacing the dental crown rather than repairing it is better and cost-efficient.
Let Us Help You If Your Dental Crown Chips in Boynton Beach, FL.
You can always try some easy tips to keep your dental crowns in top shape. Rather than use your teeth to open packages or bottles, grab some scissors or a tool instead. If you suffer from bruxism, use a comfy mouth guard as you sleep. And if you’re hitting the court or field for some sports fun, use a sports mouthguard to minimize any potential impact from an accident.
Also, be mindful of what you eat as too hot, cold, or hard foods may hurt your dental crowns. But if your dental crown accidentally chips, Eriks Dental Group can always lend a hand. We have a licensed team of dentists who can help you fix or replace dental crowns.
Contact us today for quality dental services such as dental crowns, dental fillings, dental implants, teeth cleaning, and teeth whitening.