How to Care for Your Crowns and Bridges: Tips for Maintaining Your Restorations

Dental bridges and crowns are excellent solutions for restoring oral function and appearance if you’ve damaged or missing teeth. While made from quality and durable dental materials like porcelain and zirconia, these restorations require proper dental care and maintenance for lonang-term success and effectiveness.

This article discusses practical tips for caring for your crowns and bridges in Sacramento, CA, foods to avoid after getting a crown or bridge, and why regular checkups are essential for the longevity and success of your restorations.

The Importance of Proper Oral Hygiene for Crowns and Bridges

With or without crowns or bridges, excellent oral hygiene is essential for maintaining healthy teeth, gums, and mouth. Below are practical oral hygiene tips and why they’re important:

• Brushing: Brushing at least twice daily helps eliminate bacterial deposits and debris from the mouth, reducing your risk of oral conditions like gum disease, decay, tooth erosion, bad breath, and oral thrush. When brushing around your bridges and crowns, clean under the bridge and along the gum line since these areas are vulnerable to plaque buildup. Ensure you use a soft-bristled toothbrush and make gentle motions to prevent damaging your restorations and teeth. Dental experts recommend brushing for about two minutes at a time.
• Flossing: While often underrated, flossing is crucial for removing plaque and debris around your teeth and dental restorations. It reduces plaque and tartar buildup in the mouth, potentially leading to decay, gum disease, bad breath, and other issues. For effective flossing, consider an interdental brush to ensure you clean deep between your teeth and tight areas beneath the bridge or crown. You can also use other types of dental floss, like water flossers.
• Fluoride toothpaste: Fluoride toothpaste contains fluoride minerals which help restore the lost minerals in your enamel, strengthening your teeth and making them less vulnerable to infections and fractures. Avoid abrasive toothpaste like whitening toothpaste as it can erode your teeth’ enamel, encouraging tooth sensitivity, decay, and even tooth loss.
• Mouthwash: Incorporating a fluoride or antimicrobial mouthwash in your oral hygiene, especially after brushing and meals, can help wash away food debris and bacterial deposits from the teeth and around your dental restorations, lowering your risk of oral issues.

Foods to Avoid with Crowns and Bridges

While strong and durable, dental bridges and crowns aren’t immune to damage. Eating certain foods can cause them to break or dislodge or encourage bacterial infections, compromising your oral health and the effectiveness of your restorations. Below are foods to limit or avoid with bridges and crowns:

• Hard foods: Like natural teeth, excessive biting or chewing pressure can cause your crown or bridge to chip or crack, affecting their efficiency. Avoidable foods include raw nuts, hard candy, and popcorn kernels. Besides hard foods, avoid damaging habits like opening cans with your teeth. Visit our natural dentist in Sacramento if your teeth or dental damages are damaged.
• Sticky or chewy foods: Chewing sticky or chewy foods like sticky candies and caramels can detach or dislodge your crown or bridge, leaving your mouth vulnerable to various issues. Similarly, these foods can cause excessive pressure on the restorations damaging them.
• Sugary items: Your mouth naturally contains millions of germs and bacteria that feed on the sugars you eat. A diet high in sugar can encourage bacterial growth in the mouth, increasing the risk of developing decay and gum disease under the crown or bridge, compromising the effectiveness of your restorations.
• Acidic items: While they might have nutritional value, certain acidic foods and beverages like citrus fruits, apple cider vinegar, and carbonated drinks can erode the tooth under your crown or bridge, affecting the effectiveness of your restorations. If you take these items, rinse your mouth with water afterward to minimize damage. Also, wait for at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth.
• Staining ingredients: Dental bridges and crowns can be customized to look like natural teeth. While dental restorations are more resistant to staining better than natural teeth, regular exposure to staining ingredients can cause them to stain or discolor. Limiting or avoiding staining foods and drinks like soda, coffee, tea, and red wine can help protect your teeth and restorations against staining. If you must take these items, consider using a straw or rinsing your mouth with water afterward.

Regular Check-Ups: Why They Are Essential for Your Crowns and Bridges

Besides daily oral hygiene, regular checkups are essential for the following:

• Early detection and treatment of oral problems. These checkups allow your natural dentist in Sacramento to assess the health of your teeth, gums, mouth, crowns, and bridges for signs of damage or problems. If any problem is identified, prompt treatment is provided to prevent further complications. The dentist can adjust or replace your restorations if they’re damaged.
• Professional cleaning. The dentist or hygienist will clean your mouth and make dental restorations to remove debris, plaque, tartar, and stains. This helps lower your risk of oral issues and maintain a brighter smile.

Visit our office for dental crowns and bridges in Sacramento, CA

Are you interested in dental bridges or crowns? Or do you need more tips for caring for your dental restorations? Contact Sacramento Natural Dentistry to book a consultation with our dentist in Citrus Heights.