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How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

July 7, 2020

Filed under: Uncategorized — archway @ 6:00 pm
Restoration sitting on fingertip, models of dental crowns behind it

Dental crowns are durable tooth-shaped caps that are custom-made to fit snugly over the top of a tooth to improve its strength and appearance. This common restoration is an excellent, long-lasting solution for teeth that are broken, misshapen, weak, or stained. However, with such a wide variety of uses, it can be difficult to predict when one will need to be replaced. Here’s how long someone can expect a new dental crown to last, what influences its lifespan, and what someone can do to help it stay firmly in place for years to come.

How Do Dental Crowns Work?

Unfortunately, your enamel can’t heal itself. Leaving a broken or weakened tooth untreated will only allow the damage or decay to get worse, which could result in painful and expensive complications. Thankfully, fitting a dental crown over a problematic tooth like these will strengthen and protect it.

To make enough room for a dental crown, a thin layer of enamel is removed from the tooth. With the help of advanced dental technology, your dental crown will then be precisely custom-made to fit over it as closely as possible. Once it’s cemented in place, you can expect your restored tooth to last for several years with the right care.

What Affects the Lifespan of a Dental Crown?

Dental experts report that the average lifespan of a dental crown is between five and 15 years. This is because there are numerous factors that influence its stability, strength, and wellbeing, including:

  • Bad habits: Pressure from grinding your teeth (bruxism) and chewing on hard objects will wear down your crown’s strength and potentially damage it. To protect it, talk to your dentist about a custom nightguard for bruxism and chew on a piece of sugarless gum instead of your nails, a pen cap, or ice.
  • Oral hygiene: While your dental crown itself is not susceptible to decay, the vulnerable tooth underneath is. Great oral hygiene is essential for keeping your tooth and the surrounding gum tissues healthy, which plays a key role in keeping your crown firmly in place.
  • Position in the mouth: Different parts of your mouth are subjected to different amounts of pressure when you talk and eat. A dental crown in the back of your mouth will likely be worn down faster than one in the front, so it may have a shorter lifespan.

How to Make a Dental Crown Last for Years to Come

Thankfully, there are plenty of simple habits that can help keep your dental crown looking and feeling its best, like:

  • Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day.
  • Flossing between your teeth and rinsing with mouthwash daily.
  • Limiting or avoiding hard, crunchy, or sticky foods.
  • Seeing your dentist twice a year for regular checkups and cleanings.

If a dental crown ever begins to feel loose or uncomfortable, talk to your dentist right away. They’ll help you keep your restored tooth happy and healthy for many years to come!

About the Author

Dr. Deval Parmar of Archway Dental has been helping people achieve and maintain optimal oral health for over 13 years. She’s proud to provide the smiles of Frisco, TX and the surrounding communities with the honest, personalized, and state-of-the-art dentistry they deserve. With a combination of preventive care and high-quality, long-lasting restorations like dental crowns, she’s committed to keeping your pearly whites beautiful, functional, and intact for a lifetime! If you’d like to learn more about dental crowns, she can be contacted via her website or at (972) 972-4646.

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