When you are on the verge of losing a tooth to dental decay or trauma, a dental crown is a good investment. Not only can dental crowns save badly damaged teeth, but they can also give you back your ability to chew and smile comfortably. However, just as with any dental restoration, you will need to adjust your oral hygiene practices to suit your dental crown.
If you have found blood around the base of your dental crown after eating or while brushing your teeth, don't panic. The cause is likely due to gum irritation.
Dental Crown Margins Attract Bacteria
Dental crowns are not unlike natural teeth when it comes to bacteria buildup. Just as with your natural teeth, cleaning the frontal surface of your dental crown is a simple matter. And, if you floss, bacteria won't be able to build up in the interproximal spaces between your teeth and dental crown either.
However, the area where the dental crown connects with the natural tooth structure, called the margin, is of special importance. This is because bacteria can build up along this horizontal margin. Even a toothbrush can struggle to remove the bacteria along the margin. Unfortunately, if it is not removed, a film of plaque forms and this irritates gum tissue, causing it to become inflamed.
As a result, whenever you brush or eat, the inflamed gum tissue around your dental crown will bleed. You may also experience some discomfort when food debris or your toothbrush encounter the inflamed gum tissue. All of these symptoms point to gingivitis, or mild gum disease. But what can you do about it?
Flossing Can Help
Don't worry about accidentally pulling your dental crown off if it is a permanent crown. Floss just as you would around your natural teeth, and make sure you focus on the margin where your crown meets the natural tooth. If you remove the bacteria and food debris each evening, you also remove the source of the bleeding and gum irritation.
However, if your current dental crown is only temporary, ensure that you pull the floss out from between your teeth sideways, not upwards, as pulling upwards could dislodge the crown.
If there is bleeding around your dental crown accompanied by gum irritation, you need to start flossing around your dental crown to remove the bacteria and plaque. Otherwise, the condition could worsen to become periodontitis, or severe gum disease. See a cosmetic dentistry provider if the condition doesn't improve within a week or two.
Share2 December 2019
When I had my first child, I was a nervous wreck. Every book I read gave different advice, and I just wanted to be right! By the time I had my third child, some of the stress had abated. I now realised, there were tons of different perspectives on everything related to raising children including dentistry. To help parents, I have created this blog dedicated to unraveling dental myths about children. I am including posts that weigh both sides of issues such as thumb sucking, dental caries, breastfeeding, flossing and any other topic I can think of. I hope you find the information you need to unravel dental myths, but most importantly, I hope you find some peace of mind. With kids and dentistry, there can be more than one right answer, and I want you to be able to relax and go with the answer that's right for you.
