Care for Your Temporary Crown or Bridge

The temporary you are wearing is made from a hard, acrylic material and should not be considered a fully functional tooth for chewing. Special care should be used during the short period of time that you will be wearing it. Your temporary is cemented on with temporary cement so that your dentist can take it off easily.

• Do not eat or drink for a half-hour after cementation to give the cement time to set.

• Please try to do most of your chewing on the opposite side of your temporary.

• Please avoid chewy, sticky, or excessively hard foods such as gum, crusty bread/bagels, and hard or sticky candies.
  Brush your temporary normally but flossing should be done by inserting floss and then carefully pulling your floss out to the side of the temporary (not up, that can pop it off). Bridges require a special flossing technique which you may not be able to do with a temporary bridge.

• Temporaries are worn to protect the tooth from sensitivity and to keep the tooth and gum tissues in the proper position. It is very important to have your temporary cemented back on if it should come off. It should not be off for more than a couple of days.

• If your temporary does come off, please call our office to have it re-cemented. If our office is not open and you are experiencing sensitivity, or aesthetics are a concern—you may put your crown back on with Fixodent or Dent-temp (directions are on the package). Both can be purchased at your local pharmacy. Please call our office when we re-open to have your crown professionally re-cemented.

• It is common for a tooth to be sensitive for a day or two after the preparation visit for your crown. If your tooth is sensitive to biting or any other symptoms last beyond a day or two of your preparation, please call us for a recheck to prevent complications. Many times it is as simple as adjusting the bite of your temporary crown.