After a dental crown
What follows cementing the crown, both the temporary one and the final one.
How recovery goes
With the temporary crown
A temporary crown is fixed with weak cement so that it comes off easily. Avoid sticky and hard food on that side, and pull floss out sideways, not upwards, so you don't lift it.
If it comes off, keep it and call us: we re-cement it. The prepared tooth shouldn't be left uncovered for days.
The first days after the final crown
The tooth may be sensitive to hot and cold for a few days, especially if it hasn't had root canal treatment. If you touch the crown first when you close your mouth, call us: it's a few minutes' adjustment.
Long term
A crown doesn't decay, but the tooth underneath can, at the edge of the crown. Careful brushing at the gum line, flossing and regular check-ups keep it for many years.
If the tooth under the crown has had root canal treatment, we check it on an X-ray at the intervals in your plan.
This is usual
- Sensitivity to hot and cold for a few days.
- The gum around the crown slightly tender at first.
- A new feeling under the tongue that goes within a few days.
This is not usual
- The bite feels too high on the crown.
- Sensitivity getting worse instead of better.
- The temporary crown has come off.
- Floss that shreds every time it passes the crown.
Call us if
- Throbbing pain that wakes you at night.
- Swelling of the gum or cheek next to the tooth.
- The final crown has come off or cracked.
Reviewed by Dr. Voinea ·
CMDR Romania · Galați University of Medicine and Pharmacy · General Dentistry