Dental crowns do great things for your smile, repairing damage and even replacing teeth. In many cases, dental insurance will help pay for at least part of the cost of a crown. (An exception may be if a crown is used for strictly cosmetic purposes.) No matter the cost, you’ll want to keep your crown looking great for as long as you can.

You can keep a dental crown looking and feeling great with these tips:

  • Select the right crown
  • See us regularly for dental exams
  • Practice proper oral hygiene at home
  • Don’t use teeth as tools
  • Wear a mouthguard, if needed

A dental crown will typically last at least five years but can last for many years longer than that with the proper care. Many factors will affect its longevity, including the type of material used for the crown, where it’s located in your mouth, and your overall dental health.

At Denise DiBona DDS, we’ll help you keep all of your dental restorations, including crowns, in top shape. Call us today at 732-945-5343 for an appointment in Red Bank, NJ. In the meantime check out our five tips for long-lasting crowns.

Start With the Right Dental Restoration

It’s easier to keep crowns in great shape if you start with a high-quality restoration. Crowns can be made of many different kinds of materials, including porcelain, metal, ceramic, and resin. We use zirconia for our crowns. It is made from biocompatible materials that feature similar properties to titanium. Zirconia is up to five times stronger than porcelain, which makes it a great choice for crowns.

Other benefits of zirconia crowns include:

  • Highly stain resistant
  • More resistant to temperature extremes than other materials

Don’t Skip Regular Dental Exams

In addition to preventing problems like cavities and gum disease, regular exams give our dentists a chance to look for potential issues with your crowns and other restorations. If they find chips, cracks, or gaps between a crown and a tooth, they can often repair them. Left unrepaired, they create a way for disease-causing bacteria to get inside your tooth and become infected.

We recommend visiting our office for an exam and cleaning at least once every six months. If you don’t have insurance, you may be tempted to skip regular exams. Consider joining our Dental Health Care Club. You’ll make low monthly payments that cover the cost of exams, X-rays and two dental cleanings a year –plus discounts of up to 20 percent on other services, including crowns.

Keep Crowns in Great Shape With Proper Oral Hygiene

Decay can develop in the natural tooth structure under your crown if you don’t practice good oral hygiene at home. There’s a good chance you will prematurely lose your crown. If decay leads to infection, you may also lose what remains of your tooth. Advanced gum disease can also cause receding gums and bone damage that can result in the the loss of a crown and/or tooth. To avoid these problems, brush at least twice a day and floss daily too.

Remember, Your Teeth Aren’t Tools

Using your teeth as tools is a big no-no. While zirconia is quite strong, it can still be damaged if you use your teeth for tasks such as opening packages or containers. Crunching into ice, candies, popcorn kernels, and similar hard materials – including fingernails – can also damage your crowns (and natural teeth).

Stop a Teeth Grinding Habit With a Mouthguard

Teeth grinding and jaw clenching are two other habits that are hard on both restorations and natural teeth. It often happens while you are sleeping, so you may not even realize you are doing it. If you regularly wake up with a sore jaw, ask our dentists to check for signs of wear-and-tear on teeth that often indicate these behaviors. We can create a custom-made oral appliance that you can wear overnight to protect your teeth.

It’s also a good idea to wear a mouthguard while playing sports. We can make a custom mouthguard that will fit you better than one purchased from a store.

Let us help you keep crowns in great shape! Call Denise DiBona DDS today at 732-945-5343.