Post-Op Instructions – Crowns and Bridges

Immediately after placing the crown, you might experience a weird unsettling feeling for the first few days in the area of the new crown especially when you move your tongue from natural teeth to artificial crowns. You may also feel that it is little bulky but it will settle eventually in few days as you lips, tongue and cheek muscles get adjusted around the new crown.

Also, you need to follow these instructions to make sure the crown or bridge survives for a longer time:

1. Do not drink water or chew anything for at least 30 mins after fixing the crown.

2. If the area was numbed for fixing the crown, do not chew until the anesthesia wears off.

3. Do not eat anything hard or sticky for at least 24 hrs as the cement used to fix the crown needs some time to form a better bond between tooth and crown.

4. After 24 hours, you can eat everything. It is advisable to eat each and every kind of food to test its functionality. Check if there is any food lodgment around the new cap. If yes, then please contact your dentist as food lodgment can lead to cavities in the future.

5. If after 2-3 days, the crown still doesn’t feel right or it feels high and you aren’t able to close your mouth properly, report back to your dentist for corrections in the crown. Delaying the necessary adjustments may damage the tooth.

6. Maintaining good oral hygiene is very important. Introduce flossing and oral rinse with warm water salt in your daily routine to maintain top-notch oral hygiene. Ask your dentist about different kinds of flossers and which one is more suited for you.

7. It is not very uncommon for the crowns to get dislodged after a few years. This usually happens because of sticky food. If it happens, kindly keep the crown/cap safe with you and report back to the dental office within 24-48 hrs for refixing the cap.

8. Lastly, routine check-up along with professional cleaning around the caps and bridges is very important so don’t forget to report back every 6 monthly.