Here’s How to Floss Around Your New Crown

Dental crowns are a form of restorative work that can make your smile look new again. Whether you’ve had a root canal or you’ve decided to cover over misshapen teeth, a dental crown can help your teeth look great.

But a dental crown is a significant investment in your teeth, so you want to protect it as well as you can. One of the best things that you can do is to maintain good oral hygiene practices, including flossing. The providers at Greenwich Dental explain more about the correct ways to floss around your new crown.

When you might need a crown

A crown is like a cap over your natural tooth. It’s made with ceramic or other materials. Crowns are used in the following circumstances:

• Your tooth is cracked 
• Your tooth is weakened by previous cavities
• If you’ve had a root canal
• Your teeth are severely decayed

A crown is color-matched to your surrounding teeth, so you shouldn’t need to worry about how well it will match.

How long crowns last

You can expect your crown to last for 5-10 years on average. However, you can do a lot to influence the lifespan of your crown.

Brushing your teeth on a regular basis and properly flossing can improve your oral health and extend the length of time you can make your crown last.

How to properly floss around your crown

You need to floss at least once a day but it’s important to make sure that you’re doing it the right way.

Use the floss in a C-shape to floss around your crown. You should carefully move the floss out of your mouth, so you don’t end up pulling on the edges of the crown. 

Make sure that you floss in an up-and-down motion, rather than in a side-to-side sawing type of motion.

Alternatives to using floss

If you can’t get in the habit of using floss on a regular basis, you do have alternative options. You can use a water flosser, which sprays jets of water to get the food particles out from between your teeth.

However, you shouldn’t use floss picks as an alternative to flossing your teeth. Floss picks don’t do as good of a job at removing all the plaque between your teeth.

If you need a dental crown, schedule a consultation today. Contact the skilled providers at Greenwich Dentistry or request an appointment online.