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Recement Crown Procedure: How It Works
Dental crowns, or tooth crowns, as they’re also known, are caps placed on top of damaged teeth as a form of restoration treatment. They’ll cover, restore, and protect your teeth from further damage, and they come in various different materials, such as porcelain, metals, ceramics, and resin. And, dental crowns are also very easy to take care of. If you’re interested, you can head to this link to learn more about dental crowns and related procedures.
However, even though tooth crowns are an excellent means of restoring teeth, sometimes they’ll need restoration too. On occasion, dental crowns may come loose and become detached from the tooth. But don’t worry; this is a problem with a stable solution, which we will be covering today.
Why Do Dental Crowns Fall Off?
We’ve established that sometimes dental crowns will go loose and fall off, but why does that happen? Well, there are quite a few reasons why that might occur, so let’s go through them.
- Clinical preparations including a short tooth – The dental crown simply won’t be able to be retained in the tooth structure if the prepared tooth is very short, which will result in it coming off.
- Poor foundations of the tooth – In some instances, a tooth may be badly broken or decayed and therefore unable to hold the crown.
- Restoration angle – A crown preparation being done under a problematic angle may threaten the tooth crown’s security and stability.
- Teeth grinding – Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is a habit that many people, unfortunately, have, to a bigger or lesser extent. As the name implies, it’s a habit of grinding your teeth, often subconsciously, and can lead to teeth chipping or wearing off and can also cause your tooth crown to come off.
- Chewing certain types of food – Certain foods, such as sticky ones, for example, can play a part in your dental crown coming off. Chewy foods can also be tricky, so be careful around them as well.
- Not enough teeth remaining – The fewer teeth a person has, the more pressure will be applied to those remaining teeth while chewing. Stress that occurs while chewing will be heightened when it comes to teeth with dental crown restorations.
- Injury or trauma – In some cases, physical trauma or injury can lead to dental crown detachment.
Should You Recement Crowns and What to Expect
It should go without saying that if your dental crown has fallen off, the best recommendation is to undergo the recement crown procedure. And the more urgently you do this, the better. Leaving the crown detached will leave the tooth exposed, which will eventually lead to decay and other dental problems, so acting quickly is of utmost importance.
Generally speaking, as far as the procedure goes and what you should expect, it’s safe to say that getting your crown recemented is a simple and quite safe procedure. The recovery is also very fast, so there’s not much to worry about in that department either. Below we will get further into discussing the procedure itself.
How Is This Procedure Performed
The process of crown recementing is not all that different from the initial process of dental crown placement. The first step your dentist will take is determining whether or not the tooth can be restored via recementation or whether it should be extracted altogether.
If you still have your dental crown, your dentist will check to see if it is perfectly intact and whether it still fits. That involves checking whether the edges are sealed and if the contact with the other teeth is as it should be. They will also check to see if your bite functions properly and whether it is aligned.
The first step of the actual recementation process includes your dentist cleaning the surface of the fitted tooth to remove possible remnants of cement. They will also disinfect and clean the tooth and the tooth crown and desensitize it if needed. Next up, the cement mixing will take place, and an appropriate amount of dental cement will be mixed and applied to the crown. After this is done, the dental crown will be placed on the tooth and fixed with subtle pressure.
And, after the whole recementation process is done, your dentist will clean the excess cement and check to see if your bite is still properly aligned.
Risks and Complications
Now, as we’ve mentioned, this procedure is a safe one. However, some minor complications may occasionally occur. Mainly it relates to patients reporting discomfort and sensitivity after going through the procedure. Sensitivity to temperatures could occur as well if a nerve had been exposed while the recementation procedure was taking place, so consuming overly cold or hot beverages and foods can serve as a trigger.
And, if you notice any problems occurring with your recemented dental crown, you should schedule a dental appointment just to stay on the safe side.
How to Care For Your Dental Crown
Taking care of your dental crown in the aftermath of the recementation procedure is extremely important when it comes to maintaining the security and strength of the crown. Practicing good dental and oral care will not only keep your other teeth healthy, but it will also extend the lifespan of your tooth crown.
Cavities and tooth decay, in general, can often be a death sentence for your dental crown, so keeping them at bay is critical. Removing plaque and bacteria meticulously by using quality dental products and proper brushing can do wonders. However, you don’t have to be paranoid about it; while recementing your crown, your dentist will definitely make sure that it stays put. You’ll only need to keep up your end of the bargain and maintain good dental hygiene habits.
