We are often asked this question and in a perfect world your new crown would last for the rest of your life. However, in the same perfect world you would not have to change the oil in your car, replace your roof or mow your lawn.
Let’s look into this further.
If you chew every bite of food 10 times before you swallow and at each meal you eat 20 bites you have used your crown 200 times during this meal alone. Now multiply that by 3 meals per day, plus some snacks. You are looking at using your crown 600 times, at least, per day.
Many dental restorations will handle chewing pretty easily, even at 600 times per day. It is the kernel of unpopped popcorn, cherry or olive pits, tooth picks, ends of pencils and other hard objects we tend to put in our mouths that can do in a restoration, tooth, or crown. Plus, your crown will have to tolerate temperatures ranging from 150 – 170 degrees (for hot coffee or tea) to 20 – 30 degrees (for ice cream and the dreaded ice chewing). Sometimes you may even have ice cream and coffee in the same setting causing your tooth to expand with the heat and contract with the cold in rapid succession. Your crown will also have to tolerate being attacked by acid after each meal, snack or beverage (unless you drink only water), being covered by bacterial biofilm and probably tooth grinding while you sleep.
The mouth is a pretty tough environment. So, what is a realistic expectation for the life of your crown? Well, a lot of it depends on you. If you avoid sweets and sodas, take very good care of your teeth by brushing and flossing regularly, don’t take medications that dry your mouth, don’t grind your teeth at night, or invest in a bite splint while visiting our office regularly in an effort to find concerns while they are small, you could see your crown last for 15 – 20 years. Insurance companies for years have expected crowns to last 5 years before they would pay for a new one. Regular wear and tear will probably wear out your dental work if you live long enough, but you can make your dental treatment last as long as possible if you:
Brush 2 – 3 times per day with a soft bristled toothbrush, or Sonicare brush.
Floss or use a Water Flosser once per day.
Chew sugarless gum, or eat sugarless candy, or mints after meals to stimulate saliva flow. Make sure your sugarless treat is sweetened with Xylitol.
Avoid sugary, sticky foods and reduce any in between meal snacking.
Maintain regular dental visits.
Contact our office right away if you have any problems or concerns
If you ever have any questions about your dental health contact our office. We are here to take care of you and your health!
