Properly affixing a crown generally requires two office visits. The first visit typically involves examining and preparing the tooth. X-rays are quite common, as they provide for an excellent insight as to the inner workings of your mouth. X-rays also allow us to check the health and status of a tooth’s roots and any surrounding bone structures. If extensive decay, damage, or trauma is noticed, the likelihood of infection or further injury may be great enough that a root canal procedure must first take place.

What to expect with dental crowns

Before any further work is conducted, it is often best to anesthetize a patient. Once fully numb, your tooth will either be reduced or built up in order to accommodate the crown. A tooth is generally reduced (filed down) in an effort to make room for a crown. In instances where fractured or severe decay is the case, the tooth is usually built up in an effort to better support the crown. After reshaping the tooth, an impression is taken.

Dental impressions are an important part of the process, as they are used in making the permanent crown and allow for a better, more natural look and feel. Making a permanent crown does take some time, so while it is in the works, a temporary crown will be used. Temporary crowns help to cover and protect the prepared tooth while the permanent crown is underway. Because temporary crowns are just that, a temporary fix, several precautions are recommended to better ensure the optimal care of your tooth.

One of the most important precautions is to simply avoid eating sticky and chewy foods (such as chewing gum, taffy, and caramel). These types of foods have a tendency to grab and pull off temporary crowns. Patients will also want to minimize using the side of the mouth with the temporary crown (by chewing on the other side as much as possible). It is also recommended that patients avoid chewing hard foods (such as hard candy, ice, and raw vegetables), which could dislodge or break the crown. Lastly, when flossing, patients will want to slide the flossing material out, rather than lifting it out. Lifting the floss out, as you normally would, carries the risk of pulling off the temporary crown.