Why Do I Need a Temporary Crown?
There are several reasons dentists use permanent crowns for patients including tooth decay, fractures, filing support and even cosmetic purposes. Preparing a tooth for a permanent crown involves reducing the size of the tooth to make room the crown. After careful preparation, an impression is made and used to construct the permanent crown. A temporary crown is made from an impression taken before work begins and acts as a shield to protect the tooth and keep the patient from experiencing hypersensitivity from hot and cold foods and beverages. Even more importantly, a temporary crown helps prevent the tooth and adjacent teeth from shifting prior to the permanent crown’s placement. It also helps preserve gum health, makes chewing easier and provides an aesthetic function.
Caring for a temporary crown
It is important to keep your temporary crown clean by continuing normal brushing and flossing. This will be demonstrated by your dental team. Also avoid chewy, sticky or hard foods as these types of foods can dislodge the temporary crown. When possible, try to chew on the other side of the mouth until your final crown is delivered.
It is normal to have some mild soreness around the tooth that was worked on for the first few days. The source of discomfort is most likely from the surrounding gum tissue and should subside within a few days. Rinsing with warm salt water can help soothe the area. If the soreness worsens and becomes pain that awakens you from your sleep please contact your office.
It is a very rare occurrence but if your temporary crown becomes dislodged or un-cemented, hold onto it and contact your dental office so it can be re-cemented. If you are out of town or unable to get into the office in a timely fashion, a local pharmacy should have some temporary crown cement that you can purchase. Just follow the instructions on the packaging carefully.