Crowns and bridges usually take a minimum of two appointments to complete. At the first appointment, the too thor teeth are prepared and a precision impression or digital scan is taken. The impression is used to custom fabricate your restoration(s). A temporary crown or bridge is placed to protect the teeth and maintain the position of the teeth while the custom restoration is being made.
On rare occasions, temporary crowns or bridges may come off before your appointment to cement the final crown or bridge --they are, after all, made to be removed easily without damaging the tooth. If this happens, keep the temporary crown or bridge ina safe, clean place and CALL US IMMEDIATELY at (585) 461-4350. If the tooth is very sensitive, which it may be if no root canal has been completed, you may replace the temporary crown with a dab of toothpaste until you are able to come in. If it is after hours your Doctors emergency contact information is available on our answering service. We will arrange to see you and re-cement the temporary within a few days or if you are in discomfort, we'll see you sooner. It is very important for the proper fit of your final restoration(s) that your temporary(ies) stay in place the majority of the time you have them.
To help keep your temporaries in place, avoid eating crunchy(peanut brittle, pretzels, hard cereals, etc.), sticky (gum, caramels,candy, most breads including rolls) or chewy (tough steak or meat) foods, and if possible chew only on the opposite side of the mouth. If you have temporaries in the front of your mouth please be especially careful not to bite into any foods. Please make sure that you cut your food into bite size pieces before it reaches your mouth. The biting into and pulling of the food could cause the temporaries to come off or even break. After each appointment when anesthetic has been used, your lips, cheek and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. To prevent injury, avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off.
Depending upon the condition of the tooth and extent of work necessary to restore your tooth it is normal to experience hot,cold and pressure sensitivity after your initial appointment. We refer to this as pulpitis and in rare cases it can result in your future need for root canal treatment. If the pain is more than mild or remains constant please notify your doctor immediately.Your gums may be sore for a few days as well. If necessary, rinse three times a day with warm salt water (add a tsp. of salt to a cup of warm water, then rinse, swish gently and spit) to reduce pain and inflammation. If your medical history allows, taking 400mg ibuprofen every 6-8 hours will help reduce inflammation.
It is important to continue to brush normally, but floss verycarefully and remove the floss from the side in the area of your temporaries to prevent accidental removal. If your bite feels uneven, if you have pain or persistent discomfort, or you have any other questions or concerns, PLEASE CALL our office at (585) 461-4350.
Following cementation of your custom fabricated crown any symptoms you experienced following the initial appointment may return, typically to a lesser extent. Again, contact your Doctor immediately if you feel more than mild sensitivity or if it is constant. We encourage you to return to your normal diet 12 hours after your "delivery" appointment, although you should always be wary of eating anything extremely hard (Brazilian nuts)or sticky (saltwater taffy).
