What Foods to Avoid with Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are an excellent dental restoration for saving, protecting, and strengthening damaged teeth. A crown is a tooth-shaped dental cap that encases a tooth’s entire visible surface to change its shape, size, strength, and appearance. Whether your damage is due to injury, decay, or bruxism, placing a dental crown can enhance your smile, bite function, and oral health.
While dental crowns contain durable and sturdy materials like porcelain, gold, and zirconia, they aren’t indestructible. For instance, extreme pressure from bruxism or biting on ice can cause your crown to chip or dislodge. This article highlights the various foods to avoid after getting your crown to protect your crown.
Foods to Avoid with Dental Crowns
Below are some food categories that you should limit or avoid after getting your tooth crown in Andover, MA:
- Hard foods
Even if they might be healthy, chewing or biting hard foods like ice and nuts can cause excessive pressure on your crown or teeth, leading to damage like cracks, breaks, or crown dislodging. It’s important to avoid very tough foods that require substantial force to bite or chew.
- Sticky or chewy foods
Sticky or chewy food items like caramel, taffy, steak, gum, and certain candies might not be hard to chew but can adhere to the crown, potentially loosening or dislodging it over time. Similarly, these foods can encourage bacterial plaque and tartar buildup around the crown, potentially leading to decay in the underlying, which can compromise the integrity of your crown. If you must take these items, take them sparingly and brush your teeth afterward to prevent plaque buildup.
- Extreme heat or cold
Especially immediately after getting a crown, you might experience minor sensitivity to extreme heat, cold, or sweetness. Besides causing discomfort, extreme temperatures can weaken the crown over time, reducing its lifespan.
- Acidic items
Highly acidic foods and vegetables like tomatoes, citrus fruits, soda, pickles, and apple cider vinegar can erode the bond between the crown and tooth. It can loosen the crown or dislodge it over time. Similarly, acidic items can erode the underlying tooth, leading to decay and tooth loss, eventually leading to crown loss.
- Sugary items
While you may not eliminate sugar from your diet, at least minimize its consumption and opt for natural-based sugars like honey. Excessive sugar consumption, particularly accompanied by poor oral hygiene, can encourage bacterial buildup around your crown and mouth, leading to decay, gum disease, and tooth or crown loss. After eating sugary items, rinse or clean your mouth to reduce the risk of potential oral diseases.
- Staining foods
While dental crowns are highly resistant to staining, excessive exposures to staining ingredients like smoking and highly pigmented foods items like coffee, red wine, and dark-colored sauces can cause them to lose their shiny appearance and cause stains in the nearby teeth, resulting in less appealing smile.
- Alcoholic beverages
Like acidic items, alcoholic beverages can weaken the dental cement that attaches the crown to the tooth, eventually leading to crown loss. Excessive alcohol consumption can also impact the underlying tooth and gums, leading to tooth and crown loss.
Other Tips for Caring for Your Dental Crown
Besides avoiding or limiting certain foods, below are additional measures to ensure the optimal condition and longevity of your crown and maintain a healthy smile:
- Excellent oral hygiene
Regular brushing, flossing, or rinsing helps prevent and remove bacterial buildup around your crown, teeth, gums, and mouth, which could cause oral issues like decay or gum disease, affecting the support of your crown.
- Avoid abrasive dental products.
Use quality dental products like a soft-bristled toothbrush, fluoride-based toothpaste, and antimicrobial mouthwash to clean and care for your smile. Avoid hard-bristled brushes, abrasive toothpaste, or alcohol-based mouthwashes, as they can erode your crown or weaken the crown bond, leading to crown loss over time. Consult your dentist if you aren’t sure what products to use.
- Regular check-ups
Regular visits allow the dentist to assess your oral health and crown condition. If any issues are detected, the dentist will address them to prevent further complications. The dentist also cleans your mouth and crown, reducing the risk of oral infections, which could affect the health of your crown.
Are you Interested in Dental Crowns in Andover, MA?
Do you have untreated dental damage like chips, cracks, breaks, decay, or severe Stains? A dental crown can restore your tooth’s function, aesthetics, and health. For more information about dental crowns, contact Andover Cosmetic Dental Group.