Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

2 Mistakes To Avoid While Performing Oral Care On Your Temporary Tooth

by Christy Long

If you have recently had posts implanted in preparation for a permanent crown, your dentist may have given you a temporary tooth to fill in the gap while you wait for your gum to heal. However, although the tooth is temporary, you still need to take care of it while it is in place, as well as avoid the following mistakes while performing your routine oral care.

1. Using an Electric Toothbrush on the Tooth

If you normally use an electric toothbrush to clean your teeth, you may think that you can also use it without any problems to brush your temporary tooth. However, an electric toothbrush may damage the temporary tooth or dislodge it.

Although you do not apply a lot of pressure from your hand when brushing your teeth with an electric toothbrush, the revolutions of the bristles can produce an increase in pressure. While this increased pressure and high-speed movement of the bristles could scratch the surface of the tooth, as well as possibly dislodge it from the post.

To keep from damaging the tooth, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to manually and gently clean around it. Then, use your electric toothbrush to clean your natural teeth, taking care not to come into contact with the temporary one.

2. Flossing around the Tooth as Usual

Just as with your natural teeth, flossing is important for removing stuck food particles and keeping the gum around the temporary tooth healthy. However, if you floss around the temporary tooth in the same manner as your other teeth, you may end up partially or completely pulling it out.

Most likely, you were taught to insert the string of floss between your teeth, wiggle it around when it comes into contact with the gums, then pull it straight up. If you use this same technique around your temporary tooth, however, you risk the floss becoming caught on the lower edge and pulling it off the post as you pull it straight up.

Instead of pulling up after you wiggle the floss between your teeth, slide the floss straight out. This action removes the upward pressure that could remove the temporary tooth.

Avoiding the above mistakes while taking care of your temporary tooth can help you keep it clean and intact until you are ready to have your permanent crown implanted. If you have any questions or issues, speak with a dental office like Tupelo Tooth who can give you personalized advice and suggestions.


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About Me

Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

I was very unhappy with the way that my front teeth looked. They were crooked and stained with an ugly yellow tint. I asked my dentist if there was anything that could be done to improve them. After discussing the options with my dentist, I decided to have crowns put on my front teeth. The procedure was painless and I wish that I had done it sooner. My name is Constance Graham and I am writing this blog to inform others about cosmetic dentistry. If you don’t like the way your teeth look, speak to your dentist about improving your smile. There are various cosmetic procedures that you can have done such as veneers, crowns, teeth whitening, and dental implants. I hope you use the information in this blog to learn more about cosmetic dentistry and how it can help you.