Temporary crowns on both sides of mouth

[linny]

I got 5 temporary crowns put on yesterday. I have a heck of a time getting numb so they had to stick me a total of 16 times..about 6 of them on the roof of my mouth, so as expected, I am having a lot of pain there. For now, I am only eating soft foods but I have to wait 3 weeks to get the permanent crowns on so I know I can't avoid eating regular foods forever. My worry is that the crowns will fall off. Two of them on the left side are two temp crowns that are attached and the 3 on the right side are all separate. Is there anything specifically I should avoid eating? I was told to avoid sticky foods/really hard foods like a hard cereal but things like corn flakes would be okay. I guess that gives me an idea of how hard of foods I should avoid but I'm not sure if there is anything else that I should avoid? The dentist gave me a package of the temporary cement that they use. She said if it comes off, just mix it up, put it in the crown, and place the crown back on the tooth. The fact that she gave me this makes me even more worried that it will fall of. So, what is okay to eat with crowns on both sides of the mouth? I know to avoid flossing that area. Right now it is hard for me to brush because of all the shots so I just lightly go over them. Any information you have about having temp crowns on both sides of the mouth will help me greatly. Thank you.

 

[drhirst]

Hi Linny,

Well flitting temporary crowns should not fall off easily. I tell my patients to avoid really sticky toffees. Curry can stain them (unless they are coated with a special glaze) so these should be avoided if the crown is visible. I guess very hard foods could do damage but we would be talking stuff like crunching hard sweets and the like. In view of your all your dentist’s warnings I would avoid crunching stuff like raw vegetables.
It is indeed a little worrying that you have been given the temporary cement. This is not normal practice but there maybe something special about your situation that makes it a good idea.
Play it by ear, as your mouth gets more comfortable experiment with different foods, as you get more confident you can extend go for harder foods.
I do not think you have to take any special precautions as they are on both sides of your mouth.
Look at it this way….. What is the worst that can happen? A crown comes off and you try to stick it back. If you can’t your dentist will.
If you do have to stick on back on, I would practice taking it on and off a few times before applying the cement to make sure I get it on the right way round. Also, only apply a very thin layer of cement otherwise it may not go down fully. To be frank, I feel it is better for the dentist to recement any temporary crowns that come off. This will ensure it is done right and the crown is not damaged and to check the reason why it came off.

Best of luck

Lincoln

 

[brit]

I got 5 temporary crowns put on yesterday. I have a heck of a time getting numb so they had to stick me a total of 16 times..about 6 of them on the roof of my mouth,

Lincoln...just wondering, any comment you could make about this..sounds extreme to me? Why not split the work if she's that hard to numb?
16 full carpules would be an overdose I think, so presumably this was infiltration of smaller amounts?
Be grateful if you could throw any light as I doubt "reading about 16 shots" is very reassuring for new browsers...it worries me and I'm an old hand lol.

 

[drhirst]

Yes Brit, 16 shots does sound alarming. However, I doubt it was 16 full carpules. I often give a single injection in 3 stages to make it painless. I have had patients think they have had 3 injections as a result. I guess the key thing here, is ensuring that the patient understands what is going on and what precautions they need to take between appointments. It has certainly made me think about how I explain things to my patients. I guess if you have had a really heavy session, with loads of work done and difficulty getting numb, you might not fully take in all the words of advise your dentist gives you at the time. Maybe I will give more detailed written aftercare notes in such circumstances or ring the patient to see if they have any questions the next day.
As far as long treatment sessions go. Some people prefer to do bit at a time while others would rather get it all over with. I always discuss this with the patient and during a long session check with them that they are Ok to carry on.

Certainly, answering questions on this forum has encouraged me to think about how I treat my patients and hopefully become more attuned to their needs.

Lincoln