Dental crowns are an excellent option to consider if you have teeth that are seriously damaged or decayed. With a dental crown in place, patients are able to bite, chew, and smile as they used to. The team at our cosmetic dentistry center can improve the health and beauty of your smile using custom dental crowns while also focusing on overall health and wellness.
While dental crowns are very durable, they can still be cracked or chipped. We’d like to take a moment right now to consider some of the common causes of damage to dental crowns and what patients can do to prevent this from happening.
Common Causes of Damage to Dental Crowns
Some of the most common causes of chips or damage to dental crowns include the following:
- Injury to the mouth – Any kind of blow or trauma to the mouth (e.g., auto accident, sports injury, assault) can potentially chip dental crowns or damage your actual teeth
- Tooth grinding (bruxism) – Tooth grinding puts major strain on the teeth and the jaw joint, and it can also result in serious damage to dental crowns
- Chewing/biting hard objects – Like your regular teeth, chewing on objects that aren’t meant to be chewed can lead to serious damage to the dental crowns
- Poor bite alignment/malocclusion – When a bite is improperly aligned, the teeth to do not make properly contact with one another and increase the chances of serious damage
- Tooth decay – The tooth decay will not affect the crowns themselves, but they will affect the underlying tooth structure, and the crown will need to be removed in order to address the decay
Why Cracked and Damaged Dental Crowns Are an Issue
Cracked or damaged dental crowns do not fit like they’re supposed to, meaning that there is increased chance of pain, soreness, tooth sensitivity, and other issues that arise from a damaged crown. In addition, the damaged crown can potentially do damage to the remaining teeth, which leads to more dental problems in general.
Preventing Damage to Dental Crowns and Prolonging Their Life
The best way to prevent damage to dental crowns is to do the following:
- Brush and floss regularly to prevent decay
- Do not chew on objects that are not meant to be chewed
- Wear mouth protection when playing sports
- Visit your dentist for regular checkups
Repairing Damaged Dental Crowns
When it comes to repairing dental crowns that have been damaged, the best option tends to be the full replacement of the dental crown. This improves overall health and wellness of a bite. This may be a more involved process if the patient has other dental health needs to be address, such as tooth grinding or malocclusion. In such cases, a full mouth reconstruction may be considered. A full mouth reconstruction will combine multiple treatments to improve your dental health, thus allowing patients to experience optimal dental wellness.
Learn More About Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry
If you would like to learn more about the damage that can be done to dental crowns and how we can repair these problems, be sure to contact our Orange cosmetic and restorative dentistry practice today. The entire team here looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve excellent dental health.
