Tips For Whitening Dental Crowns
Posted on: 11 January 2017
If you have dental crowns, you likely paid a good deal of money for them, and you want them to look as good as possible. However, it is possible for your crowns to become stained, just like your teeth. Drinking a lot of coffee, tea, or soft drinks will cause your crowns to become stained. Smoking will also cause your crowns to become stained. Both of these are problematic when it comes to making sure that your teeth are as white as possible. If you can, give up drinking those drinks and smoking. Since the damage is already done, however, you will need to figure out a way to whiten your crowns so that they return to their former glory. Here are some tips for doing so.
1. Contact Your Dentist
The main way that you can whiten your crowns is through professional intervention. You will need to contact your dentist and have your crowns whitened using a special whitening paste. The reason why normal whitening methods don't work is that they actually enter the tooth's natural enamel and stain it white. Since your crown is artificial, it doesn't have any enamel for it to penetrate. Your dentist will be able to refer you to a person that is able to whiten your crowns or will be able to do it himself or herself.
2. Consider a Replacement
Depending on how old your crowns are and how much damage they have sustained while in your mouth, it might be more cost effective to simply replace them, rather than have them whitened. Your dentist will be able to tell you when they would likely need to be replaced. If it is within a year or two of the current date, then it might make more sense to replace them ahead of time.
3. Floss
Finally, the cheapest option is going to be to try to reduce the amount of discoloration that your crowns sustain. Aside from the methods mentioned above, this involves flossing between the crowns after every meal. Food that has adhered to the crown will result in it becoming discolored more quickly. By flossing, you can get rid of that food and reduce the amount of staining that happens. You should also try to stay away from sticky foods such as caramel that will also result in your teeth becoming discolored more quickly.
For more information, contact a dental office like Leidenheimer Dental Group Inc.
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