Post-Operative Instruction: Temporary & Permanent Crown and Bridge

Temporary Crown:

1. Numbness of your lip, tongue or palate may persist for several hours. Do not chew gum, eat, drink hot liquids or smoke until the anesthetic has worn off to prevent injury from accidentally biting or burning oneself.
2. Soreness may occur at the tooth, the surrounding gum, the injection sites or the jaw joint. If these occur, apply moist heat to the affected area and take an analgesic/anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen or similar product (if medically able to do so).
3. When a temporary restoration made of acrylic or thin plastic has been placed on your tooth, avoid sticky or crunchy foods to avoid loosening or fracturing this restoration.
4. If the bite feels “high” on the temporary restoration, please call the office to have it adjusted. Failure to do so can result in a toothache or fracture of the temporary restoration.
5. Brush your temporary restoration daily. When flossing, slide the floss out from between the teeth instead of lifting it back out to avoid loosening the temporary restoration.
6. Your temporary plays an important role in protecting your teeth and holding that space for your permanent crown/bridge. If your temporary restoration loosens, call the office to have it re-cemented.

Permanent Crown:

1. When the final restoration has been placed, brush and floss accordingly (do not floss for the first 48 hours). Do not chew on ice cubes or other hard objects or continue deleterious habits, such as biting on popsicle sticks, pens etc. Use Sensodyne toothpaste with fluoride if thermal sensitivity occurs. Also, if the bite feels unusual, please call to have it checked.
2. On occasion, damage to the pulp of the tooth may occur following any restorative procedure due to a variety of reasons. If this occurs, further treatment, such as root canal therapy may be necessary.
3. Regular dental examinations are important to maintain the function and appearance of one’s crowns, bridges, etc.
4. Regular dental examinations are important to maintain the function and appearance of one’s crowns, bridges, etc.

prolong or discourage the healing process.