Dental crowns are essentially tooth-shaped caps. These look like your surrounding teeth. They’re used to strengthen weak teeth, fix cracked teeth, cover large fillings or mask stains. However, there are several ways in which you can damage them too.
Tooth Decay
While crowns aren’t susceptible to decay, the underlying tooth is. So, when bacteria infects the gum tissue that surrounds your crown, it eventually spreads to your tooth. In order to stop this from happening, make sure to brush and floss daily. It’s also important to pay a biannual visit to your dentist.
A Misaligned Bite
If your teeth aren’t properly aligned, uneven pressure is placed on your teeth when you bite down since they don’t line up correctly. This can cause your porcelain crowns to crack.
Grinding Your Teeth
When you grind your teeth, the dental enamel, and your porcelain crowns become eroded. You can also have other problems such as jaw pain, headaches, and TMJ too. Using a mouth guard helps stop grinding, thus protecting your crowns.
Using Your Teeth as Tools
Anyone who’s in the habit of biting their nails or using their teeth for performing tasks, such as opening packages, really should stop doing so. These things place a great deal of pressure on your natural teeth and on your crowns as well.
