How Long Does a Cap Stay on a Tooth?
A dental cap, also known as a dental crown, covers your damaged tooth. It helps restore your tooth’s normal function, shape, and size. Your dental caps won’t last forever, but you extend the life of your crown if you take some proper precautions. Dental caps are made from various materials with different longevity lifespans.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the roles of dental caps and the warning signs of when the crowns may need to be replaced.
What is The Purpose of A Dental Cap?
According to the American Dental Association, a dental cap can strengthen your tooth if you have a large filling but lack enough to hold it. Your dentist might also use a tooth crown to:
- Attach dental bridges
- Safeguard a fragile tooth that has undergone a root canal
- Protect a weak tooth that can break easily
- Restore a cracked or broken tooth
What can Affect the Lifespan of Your Dental Caps?
The lifespan of dental caps depends on your oral hygiene habits, the type of material used, and some lifestyle factors. According to research and statistics, the most important factor that affects your crown’s longevity on your tooth is good oral hygiene. This includes:
- Brushing your teeth after every meal
- Flossing using fluoride floss at least once a day
- Getting dental cleaning and check-up after every six months.
Other factors which can also affect the longevity of your cap may include:
- The dentist skillset
Factors such as how well your dentist prepares your tooth, how they scanned your tooth, or took an impression can affect the lifespan of the dental cap. For example, using a digital scanner is more accurate than the impression material with trays for a single tooth.
- The health of the affected tooth
If your tooth was relatively in good health with healthier surrounding bone and gums levels and longer roots., both the tooth and the cap will likely have a better prognosis.
- The type of the dental cap or crown
The material used, how well it’s made, and the quality of your crown can also play a role in the lifespan of your permanent or temporary tooth cap.
- Tooth grinding
Grinding and clenching your teeth, especially at night, can wear down the surface of your crown and affect its stability, especially if it is made from ceramic material. You can ask your dentist whether you can wear a mouthguard while sleeping to protect your teeth.
- Using your teeth as tools
Using your tooth to open bottles or chew ice and pencils or tear threads can negatively affect the longevity of the dental cap on your tooth
How will you know that your tooth crown needs replacement?
Research shows that the only way to know If your cron needs to be replaced is by undergoing an x-ray or a clinical examination. If decay is visible either radiographically or clinically, the dental cap needs to be replaced.
If there are open margins where your cap is not seated properly, or there is a gap between the tooth and the cap, the crown has to be changed. The crown has to be replaced if it is broken or if there is a space between it and the adjacent that lets food and bacteria build up.
Other warning signs that the dental crown is nearing its lifespan includes:
- Feeling that your crowns are unstable or appear to be moving when chewing caramel, bread, or something sticky like gum.
- Pain involving your crown and your tooth. This can be a result of tooth decay. Your crown has to be removed with the decay underneath it.
- When the tooth with a crown is not aesthetically pleasing.
Depending on the crown material used, the average lifespan of a dental cap is around 10-15 years. However, with good dental hygiene, proper care, and regular dental check-ups, the dental caps may last for decades.
If you would like to restore your tooth’s shape with a dental cap in Oshawa, ON, visit Harmony Dental Care. Your dentist will guide you on the cost, the durability, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of dental crown material to help you choose the best dental cap you need.