Three Ways You're Going To Prolong The Life Of Your Dental Crowns

Living out your life with all of your natural teeth is definitely ideal, however, over time your natural teeth can simply crumble to the many years of possible abuse and strain that have been put on them. While other times, you might just have naturally frail teeth that simply cannot be restored. In these situations, you are not left to live without a beautiful smile though. Nowadays, dentists work hard to ensure that you always have a beautiful smile so that you can retain your sense of confidence. One of the methods used to help people with this is the installation of dental crowns, which are essentially caps that are placed over a natural tooth that has been chipped, is smaller than the other natural teeth, or has significant staining that cannot be fixed. 

To keep these caps in good condition, you want to consider these three ways of prolonging their usefully for your smile:

1. Continue Regular Oral Health Care: Dental crowns need as much maintenance as your natural teeth. This means regular brushing and flossing and visits to the dentist every six months. If you weren't following this regular routine in the past, which has lead to the need for crowns, you must change that right away even before you have the crowns placed in even. This is going to ensure that you get into better oral health habits that will ensure the crowns last even longer. 
2. An Unscheduled Visit to the Dentist When Needed: If you feel that the crown is becoming a problem, whether it's loose or becoming discolored or chipped, you need to visit the dentist sooner than your regularly scheduled biannual visit. This way, your dentist can look into the problem and provide a solution before it becomes worse. Chances are, they might be able to restore that crown rather than having to replace it sooner than is necessary. 
3. Use Petroleum Jelly to Hold Crown in Place: If the crown has fallen out for whatever reason, you definitely don't want to lose it, otherwise, you will need a completely new one. Instead, you want to use petroleum jelly to hold it in place until you are able to see your dentist. Just be sure that you schedule an appointment right away. You don't want to use petroleum jelly as a permanent solution to the problem since it's not going to hold. 

With these three ways of caring for your dental crowns, you can be sure that they last longer and keep your smile beautiful and healthy. To learn more, visit a website like http://www.barnstabledental.com.