If your dentist recently put a temporary crown on one of your teeth to protect it until you can have permanent one placed, you may wonder if there is anything you should not do to keep from damaging it. If so, try to avoid making the following mistakes that could pull the crown loose or crack it.

Eating Crunchy or Sticky Foods 

While you have your temporary crown, you should watch the types and consistencies of the food you eat. If you usually eat a lot of crunchy or sticky foods, you should avoid enjoying them while you have your crown.

If you eat crunchy foods like peanuts or celery, you will have to bite down harder to chew them. The increased pressure on the tooth from these forceful bites could crack the crown.

Even if you try to avoid the area of your mouth where the crown is located, you still run the risk of damaging the crown. While the crunchy food itself may not be directly on the crowned tooth, the teeth coming down on it could still crack the surface.

While eating sticky foods like candy or chewing gum may not directly damage the crown, they could become stuck to its surface. Because the crown is not permanently bonded into place, the stuck food could pull the crown off of its tooth, requiring it to be put back into place by your dentist.

Flossing as You Normally Would

While you should still floss your teeth as part of your normal oral hygiene method, another mistake to avoid while you have your temporary crown is to continue flossing the way you normally would around your uncrowned teeth.

Normally, when you floss, you place the string between your teeth, bring it down to the gum line, then pull straight up. However, if you floss this way around your crown, the floss may catch on the edges. When you pull upward, you may also pull the crown off or shift it out of place.

Instead of pulling up on your floss to remove it, glide it out of the space between your teeth by pulling forward. You will still effectively clean the space without running the risk of dislodging your crown.

Avoiding the above mistakes while you have a temporary crown in place can help you keep it intact until you receive your permanent crown. However, if you think you may have dislodged or damaged the crown, make an appointment with your dentist so they can examine it and make any necessary repairs or adjustments. You can also visit websites like http://www.barnstabledental.com.