Fitting a dental crown isn't all that demanding for either the dentist or the patient. It's a common and extremely efficient form of dental restoration, and it's not invasive for the patient. But still, dental crowns are an investment of both your time and your money. This means you'll want to vigilantly care for your new dental crown. In order to preserve the look and functionality of your dental crown, you won't want to be too aggressive in caring for it. What does this mean? It essentially means that the best way to care for a dental crown requires a measured approach.

Protection Duties

A dental crown totally encases a tooth. So that the completed restoration doesn't result in a larger tooth, the underlying tooth must be prepared. This involves removing a small amount of dental enamel and slightly shrinking the tooth to accommodate the crown. The removal of protective enamel doesn't compromise the tooth, and the porcelain crown essentially takes over protection duties from your enamel. The crown often has an added layer of protection though.

Protective Glaze

Dental crowns typically have a protective glaze applied during the fabrication process. This is also porcelain, but it's transparent. This glaze acts as an added level of security to prolong the lifespan of the crown. An aggressive level of dental hygiene can potentially strip this glaze from the surface of the crown.

How the Crown Can Be Affected

The functionality of the crown won't be affected if its protective glaze is compromised, but its esthetics can be. This can lead to staining and the discoloration of the crown. Additionally, it creates indentations where harmful microorganisms, like bacteria, can gather. It's possible for these to breach the margin of the crown, causing further deterioration to the underlying tooth. This is why caring for a dental crown requires a certain level of caution.

A Measured Approach to Oral Hygiene

Brushing too hard or using too hard a toothbrush could conceivably affect a crown's protective glaze. Using an abrasive toothpaste can also be an issue. Some types of toothpaste, such as whitening or charcoal-activated paste, are known to be abrasive. It's possible for a toothpaste to contain fine granules to aid in surface stain removal, which is bad news for a crown's protective glaze. 

Follow Your Dentist's Instructions

When a crown is fitted, your dentist will tell you the best way to care for it, which will cover the types of cleaning equipment that should be used on the crown. In order to avoid damaging the crown's protective glaze, you must follow these instructions and simply be careful that your hygiene efforts are not too aggressive.

A dental crown is very durable, but it can still be damaged, even when the damage occurred during your efforts to care for it. For more information about dental crowns, contact a local dentist near you to learn more.