Permanent crowns are great for restoring teeth when a cavity may be too large for a filling. The added bonus of a permanent crown is that they look great! However, the drawback is that it may take some time for a permanent crown to be made in order to fit to your individual smile. With this being said, you may be given a temporary crown for the time being while your permanent crown is being made (usually by a lab outside of the dental office). Typically, the temporary crown will be placed for one to three weeks depending on how quickly the permanent crown can be made and delivered to your dental office.
Temporary crowns are made out of an acrylic material and are placed with temporary cement since they are not meant to stay in the mouth long-term. This is where it is very important to know what restrictions to follow while you have a temporary crown!
For starters, it is best that you chew on the opposite side of the mouth that the temporary crown is placed just to decrease the likeliness that it will come of while eating. Additionally, with Thanksgiving is coming up; you may be wondering what foods you can and cannot eat with your temporary crown. Simply put, try your best to avoid any foods that are hard, sticky or chewy that could potentially knock out your temporary crown. This goes for hard candies, caramels, nuts (this includes pecan pie) and crunchy vegetables, like raw carrots. Some individuals may even want to avoid foods that are extremely hot or cold if the area surrounding the temporary crown is sensitive when exposed to these temperatures.
Although these foods may seem difficult to steer clear of, but do not worry because you still have so many great options at the dinner table for this Thanksgiving!
Foods you can certainly eat with your temporary crown include (but are not limited to):
- Turkey
- Mashed potatoes
- Legumes
- Stuffing
- Corn
- Soups
- Pumpkin pie
- Cheesecakes
- Soft casseroles
Nonetheless, there are still delicious options out there for you this Thanksgiving if you have a temporary crown while waiting for the permanent crown!
As a friendly reminder, please be cautious of your temporary crown with the holidays approaching in the event you do have a dental emergency and your crown accidentally comes off. If this happens, please contact Costa Family and Cosmetic Dentistry immediately.