Everything about Crowns

How long do crowns last atop a dental implant?

Crowns and other dental prostheses have a lifespan that can be measured in half decades. This is the case regardless of whether or not they are anchored atop a dental implant, or if they are anchored to neighboring teeth, or atop a still living tooth. The main factor that affects a crown’s life span is the oral condition it is surrounded by. Usually a crown needs to be changed every decade and a half, but it is quite possible that a dental crown only lasts ten years, but it should not last for a shorter period of time than five years. If your oral hygiene is not maintained, the crown will have a distinctly lower lifespan, because the carries that form on teeth as a result of exposure to tartar and plaque will also start to eat away at the porcelain, although no carries will develop. Instead, the crown might experience a microfracture, or a layer of the crown may chip away and make the crown look dingy and nasty.

Poor oral hygiene may also result in a frequently occurring situation in which the crown has no structural faults at all, but has become nasty looking, stained, and possibly changes color from the pearly white it was to a darker, more eggshell or even brown color. This is also preventable and reversible, with the implementation of proper oral hygiene techniques.
If the tooth is anchored on a dental implant then it should last longer and be a little bit more independent of your oral hygiene, as the “tooth” underneath it is not a living tooth, but a piece of metal which will not incur damage form plaque and tartar, but oral hygiene is still vital, as the life span is in fact determined by just that very factor. 

I have just had an extraction, what should I do?

After having an extraction, it is important to follow the aftercare guidelines to the letter. You will basically be living with an open wound in your mouth, one of the dirtiest places on the human body. Not to worry though, as wounds inside the mouth heal very quickly, and the wound should heal over in 48 hours. During this time, you must refrain from eating dairy products, as they may have living cultures in them that can start to live in your wound, causing a nasty infection to occur. Eating sweets may also be a bad idea, as the bacteria that live in the mouth feed off of sugar, and eating sweets may increase their number.

You should also refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol, as these activities dry out the mucus membranes in the mouth, and this can cause a condition known as dry socket, which is terribly painful, and can cause damage to the periodontal tissue around the extraction site.
You should refrain from sports activities and strenuous physical activity as well, because the movement and intensity may break up the wound which may cause bleeding, and may dislodge a forming bloodclot. The healing process involves a bloodclot forming on the top of the wound, and this eventually gets absorbed and helps new gum tissue to form. It is important that you do not remove or pick at this bloodclot, as this will hinder the healing process, which means longer healing times, which means a greater risk of contracting an infection. When brushing your teeth, make sure to use a softer toothbrush than normal, and try to be gentle with the area of the extraction site. You should also use mouthwash and keep the area clean, gently pick off any food particles that may have gotten on top of the bloodclot.

It is important after any surgery to get plenty of rest, as your body heals best when it is resting or even better, unconscious. When sleeping, prop up the side of your head where the extraction site is located with an extra pillow. If you experience pain, you should take pain killing medication, and if swelling occurs, take antibiotics prescribed by your dentist, and book an appointment to have a check up if the swelling does not go down within a couple of days, and immediately if the swelling gets worse after taking the antibiotics.

What is dry socket?

Following an extraction, in a typical healing scenario, a bloodclot will form on the wound. This keeps the extraction site lubricated and covered, which make sure that the healing process can start and new gum tissue can start forming. When this bloodclot is absent, or never forms, than a condition called dry socket develops.
Teeth are rooted in a socket of bone that is supported by a ligament and by alveolar tissue around it. Upon extraction, this socket is exposed, and the nerve runs through this socket, and that also gets exposed. The bodies natural defense is the aforementioned bloodclot, to protect the nerve and the bone socket. When this bloodclot does not form, the exposure to air is painful, and dries out the mucus membrane in the mouth. The bone almost invariably becomes infected from the food and other oral detritus that is a natural part of the human mouth.  

Sometimes this bloodclot does form initially, but gets removed due to trauma, physical exertion or from picking at it with the tongue or hands. Other times, the bloodclot never forms to begin with, or becomes reabsorbed, so this condition can occur without any wrongdoing on the patient’s part. There are several things that you must not do, however, as they make the occurrence of dry socket more likely. Such activities include physical exertion, smoking, and drinking alcohol, or taking any substances that dry out your mucus membrane. After an extraction it is best to have as much rest as possible, as the body heals best when ti is asleep or just resting. People who are at risk of developing dry socket are women taking birth control pills, heavy smokers, and people with poor oral hygiene. It is also much more common to have dry socket occur after a wisdom tooth extraction.

My gums bleed from time to time, but otherwise I am doing fine. I have no toothache and experience no other symptoms than a little pink in the sink, is this a problem? Should I go see a dentist?

To answer this question, we really have to answer a whole slew of them. To give a short version, yes, you do need to see a dentist for a checkup, just to be on the safe side. Whether or not we are actually dealing with a dental problem of any magnitude depends on how much and how frequently you are bleeding. 

A Symptom Of Graver Problems

Bleeding gums are a symptom, they are not the root problem in and of themselves. They simply are a sign that something more serious, like a periodontal infection, is going on. The causes of some bleeding gums is due to lifestyle. Smokers and people who frequently drink alcohol may experience a dryness of the mouth, which may lead to the mucus membranes in the mouth bleeding. Certain medications can also dry your mouth out, which can cause bleeding of the gums.
However, bleeding gums can be a sign of periodontal disease. This is serious business, even if right at this moment your symptoms do not seem to be too severe at all. Periodontal disease, if untreated, can result in tooth loss, swelling of the gums, terrible breath and an infection in the mouth. It is basically one of the worst possible things that can happen to you form a dentist’s point of view. 

Residual Trauma

It may also be the case that you experienced a slight trauma to the gums, and your gums are bleeding a little bit, and it will stop over time, and usually, this is the case. However, it is better to be safe than sorry, and getting a checkup at the dentist never hurt anybody, and with the symptom possibly being a symptom of something very serious, in this particular situation  it is much, much better to be on the safe side.   

How long do I have to wait after I get a crown before I can get on an airplane?

Usually you will have to wait around 5-6 working days to get your crown placed. That is simply how long it takes to make the perfect dental crown. If you had your impression taken in London, and are just coming for the handover to Budapest, you can leave the same day, as a new crown does not warrant being grounded.

 

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