Sensitivity After Dental Crown Placement

Serious tooth decay and damage cannot be treated with traditional fillings. Dental crowns are the ideal treatment for major tooth problems. These caps help protect underlying tooth structure and allow you to bite and chew with ease once more.

Dr. Timothy Messer and the team at his Memphis, TN dental practice would like to go over tooth sensitivity. This is a common side effect after getting a crown placed. Thankfully it’s only and can be managed temporary. The team at Southwind Dental Care would like to offer advice and insight.

How Dental Crowns Are Placed

We should first provide a brief overview of how a dental crown is placed. That will give you an idea of why tooth sensitivity is common among patients.

A dental crown is a cap that is placed over a damaged or decayed tooth. In order to fully accommodate the crown, the tooth enamel must be prepped. This process removes unsound enamel and exposes some of the porous, underlying dentin layer of the tooth.

Tooth sensitivity is the result of the loss of the enamel, the exposure of the dentin, and your tooth getting accustomed to having the crown placed as a cap.

It Takes Time for Your Teeth to Adjust

Whenever you get a restoration or a dental appliance, an adjustment period is a given. Keep that in mind as you have a new crown in place. For a week or so, the crown will feel sensitive to temperature and pressure. Biting and chewing might feel weird or lead to some soreness.

Thankfully you have a few ways of dealing with this discomfort when it occurs.

Modifying Your Diet to Avoid Sensitivity

We often tell our Memphis dental crown patients to briefly adjust their diet to prevent tooth sensitivity and pain. That includes the following these simple suggestions:

• Eat diet consisting of soft foods, smoothies, and liquids
• Try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth of the crown
• Avoid crunchy, crispy, and hard foods
• Avoid foods that create a lots of crumbs
• Avoid sticky foods such as caramel and toffee

Patients will notice an improvement in sensitivity from day to day, and be able to slowly incorporate regular foods into their diet when they feel ready.

Good Oral Hygiene with a New Crown

When it comes to cleaning dental crowns, it’s important that you brush and floss normally. Brush at least twice every day and floss at least once a day. Be sure to brush with a toothbrush with soft bristles, and use a toothpaste for sensitive teeth. When flossing, be careful around the crown and avoid pulling too hard to prevent dislodging the restoration.

Attend All Follow-Up Care Visits

After getting a crown placed, patients will have a few follow-up visits. These visits will be to ensure the crowns are set properly and there are no serious side effects. Be sure to attend all of these follow-up visits as scheduled.

What to Do If Sensitivity Does Not Improve?

If tooth sensitivity persists or gets worse, be sure to contact the practice as soon as possible. This could be the sign of a complication that requires immediate attention and care.

Learn More About Dental Crowns

For more information about dental crowns and how they can benefit you, be sure to contact a skilled cosmetic and restorative dentist. The team at Southwind Dental Care can be reached in Memphis at (901) 751-1260.

Tagged In: Dental Crowns, Restorative Dentistry