How to maintain a tooth jacket? A tooth jacket, or a dental crown, is one of the best choices for tooth restoration. It’s meant to last for years, but it can have a short lifespan if you don’t maintain it properly. Sure, dental crowns are made from durable materials, but it still subjects to damage when put under certain situations. This article will answer the question – how to maintain a tooth jacket – by listing down some methods you can quickly do at home.

How To Maintain A Tooth Jacket At Home?

To answer the question – how to maintain a tooth jacket – you must first look at the tooth jacket. What is it made of? The most common answer to this question would be porcelain because that’s a popular choice among patients. So, let’s say that you do have a porcelain jacket on your tooth; here are a few ways you can maintain it.

Related: How to Take Care of Your Teeth

Stop Grinding Your Teeth

You’re not only damaging your teeth whenever you grind your teeth, but you’ve put yourself at risk of a TMJ disorder. Of course, some of us grind our teeth subconsciously. So, how do you stop something that has become a habit? Here are a few tips:

• Get a night guard from your dentist to prevent teeth grinding in your sleep.
• Try and control the consistency of clenching your jaw.
• Reduce chewing on gum or any non-food items such as a pen or pencil.
• Place the tip of your tongue between your teeth to relax your jaw.

For more severe cases of teeth grinding, it’s advised that you visit your dentist. He/she will give you a few personal methods on how to combat this problem.

Practice Good Oral Hygiene

Although tooth decay isn’t strong enough to pierce through your jacket, it’s still dangerous enough to find its way into the tooth underneath it. The whole point of a tooth jacket was to protect the original tooth from further harm. If the tooth is damaged even further, then this can cause some problems for your dental crown.

Start brushing at least twice a day and floss at least once daily. Also, use mouthwash after you brush your teeth. This helps a lot because it kills most of the bacteria that causes cavities and it keeps your breath fresher for longer.

Try Not To Eat Too Much Hard Food

A porcelain crown may be strong enough to handle the day-to-day operations of your teeth, but it still has its limitations. If you’re fond of chewing on any hard food, then your dental crown won’t be able to last for its expected lifespan.

Of course, we’re not suggesting that you give those kinds of altogether. What this article is suggesting, however, is that you need to take it easy on your teeth. You can still enjoy your hard candy or snacks now and then but don’t make a habit out of it.

Visit Your Dentist

Visiting your dentist is one of the best you can ensure your dental crown’s longevity. It’s advised that you visit your dentist twice every year or once every six months.

A dental checkup not only helps keep your dental crown healthy but so does your overall oral health. In a dental checkup, you’re usually put under a brief examination. Your dentist will check your teeth and maybe even do an x-ray to get a clearer perspective.

The checkup ends with a cleaning and a consultation. The former is more important because your dentist gets to remove tartar and the buildup of plaque. When all is said and done, you have effectively increased your chances of getting a longer lifespan for your crown.

A Tougher Crown

This isn’t a do-at-home tip for your dental crown but rather a suggestion. Porcelain crowns are not the most durable artificial teeth out there. Other materials are known to be a lot tougher. One of these is Emax crowns – a specially heated ceramic that gives it a higher degree of durability and appearance. If you’re not quite sure about your crown’s strength, then getting a tougher one will help ease your worries. Finally, do remember that these types of crowns are more expensive so be ready to drop a pretty hefty amount to get them.

Conclusion

As always, you should still go and visit your dentist first when it comes to these kinds of situations. Only your dentist can give you the best methods on how to maintain your crown or any other dental product. A dental consultation is free and easy to get, so you might as well give it a go.