Before the advent of antibiotics, dental infections were ranked as the number three cause of death. The infection “dissects” its way through what are called “potential spaces” between muscles, skin, tendons, and ligaments, and quickly reaches the brain, lungs, heart or a combination of these vital organs. When the cardiovascular system is attacked by infection, we say the patient is “septic”. As early as 1973, 96% of infections receiving hospital treatment with antibiotic therapy were susceptible to the Penicillin class of antibiotics. By the 1990’s 96% of hospital based infections were resistant to the penicillins, meaning that other antibiotics had to be used to treat infections. The resulting “suprainfections” occasionally are resistant to all known antibiotics. Every dental infection is life threatening. They can and do get out of control very quickly and should be attended to immediately.

Other symptoms of dental infection may include: sharp or dull pain in the gums, pressure and/or heat sensitivity with a tooth, swelling, exudate (pus), and bleeding in extreme cases.

Keep your immune system healthy, take antibiotics only when necessary, and seek dental or medical care early if you believe you have an infection.

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What Are Temporary Dental Crowns?

Temporary dental crowns function as “pre” dental crowns that are made out of either plastic or stainless steel. These crowns are adhered to your teeth using a temporary binding solution that will be removed before your permanent crown is placed. They look just like a permanent dental crown and provide many of the same benefits and even help to prepare your mouth for the new dental crown.

How Is a Temporary Dental Crown Different from a Permanent One?

A temporary dental crown is only used until your permanent one is ready. While temporary dental crowns are made from plastic or metal, your permanent crown will be made from ceramic or ceramic bonded to metal. They are also typically made at your dentist office, whereas your permanent crown will be made in a lab to be custom for your smile. Your dentist office may also have the ability to create permanent crowns in office via CEREC same-day crowns technology, so no temporary crown will be needed.

Why Are They Used?

A temporary dental crown is used for several reasons and they have several benefits. These include:

Protecting the tooth. Your temporary crown will prevent food from getting trapped in your affected area and provide the necessary protection to prevent sensitivity and further damage.

Preparing gums for the permanent crown. A temporary crown is often very similar to your future permanent one, so it helps “prepare” the mouth for the adhesion of the permanent solution by helping the gums adjust while your temporary crown is in there.

Restoring function. The temporary crown will allow you to speak and chew like normal until your real crown is placed.

Keeps you looking great. Waiting for a permanent crown can take weeks. A temporary crown will restore your natural appearance until you’re ready for the permanent solution.

Keeps teeth in their place. The temporary crown helps teeth to resist shifting and stay where they are so that the place for the permanent crown is held and ready for you!

How Long Will I Have My Temporary Dental Crown?

Usually lab preparation of your crown will take about two weeks. This is the approximate length of time you’ll have your temporary dental crown. Since your dentist will use a temporary adhesive solution, the temporary crown is easily removed and you’ll be ready for your permanent crown when it’s completed for you!

Temporary dental crowns serve many functions and provide short-term solutions for you while you’re waiting for your lab-created custom crown. Talk with your dentist about a temporary crown and how it can effectively hold a place for your real crown until its ready to make your smile gorgeous again!

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Appearances Aren’t Just About Looks
We all want to have beautiful smiles, and smoking is one of those things that prevents us from having them. It kills the good bacteria in your mouth, leading to chronic bad breath (not to mention that cigarette stench) and yellow teeth from the tobacco. However, these problems aren’t just related to appearances. The killing of the good bacteria that help combat inflammation and infection can lead to an array of health problems in your mouth besides bad breath. Lack of good bacteria can allow the bad bacteria to rum rampant, therefore increasing your risk for gingivitis, periodontal disease, cavities, and tooth decay to name a few.

Oral Cancer and Loss of Teeth
Smokers are more likely to develop cancers of the mouth than people who don’t smoke. And it’s not just cigarettes—cigars and chewing tobacco increase your risk just as much as smoking cigarettes. You can get cancer in your throat, mouth, lungs, esophagus, and larynx (your voice box). People who have cancer in their larynx often need to get it removed, meaning you won’t be able to speak anymore. That’s a high price to pay for smoking cigarettes!

Cigarettes also reduce blood flow to your mouth, which deprives your smile of nutrients that it needs to stay healthy. This can lead to bone loss in your teeth and jaw, leading to loose teeth and inflamed gums, as well as loss of taste and smell. Smoking also reduces the amount of saliva in your mouth, which can again lead to chronic bad breath, an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, and cavities.

Problems with Healing
Smoking introduces an array of chemicals into your body, and many of these chemicals can hinder your immune system, zap your supply of vitamin C, and reduce blood flow. What this means is that you may not be able to heal as well after oral procedures and may be more at risk for infection. For example, if you need dental implants done, your body may be more at risk to reject the implants because of your tobacco use. Other procedures can be impacted by your smoking, and your dentist will likely recommend that you quit in order to increase your chances of healing and having the best smile of your life!

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but there are more resources now than ever to help you. Talk with your doctor or dentist about quitting smoking, and visit smokefree.gov for helpful resources, advice, and make a plan to quit. Smoking is impacting more than just your smile—don’t wait until problems start happening. Quit smoking today!

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Why All-Ceramic Crowns?

The primary reason to use an all-ceramic crown is aesthetics. The crown can be matched to your other teeth in color and appearance. This makes it difficult to notice that a damaged tooth is being hidden and protected.

The fact that a person has a crown over a tooth is even kept out of sight if the gumline begins to recede. When porcelain fused to metal is used for a crown, a receding gumline can show some of the dark metal, but an all-ceramic crown will not display such a line.

Ceramic is also great for producing a perfect fit. Modern technology allows dentists to match the crown to your other teeth and to create a perfect fitting encasement for the damaged tooth. This is also good for the protection of the tooth.

With all of these benefits, why would anyone use a different type of crown? There are a few reasons.

A Few Disadvantages of All-Ceramic Crowns

With quality comes cost. All-ceramic crowns require craftsmanship on the part of the dentist to match your other teeth and affix the custom fit piece of dental work. This means an all-ceramic crown will often be the more expensive crown option. It is well worth it, but for some the cost is a deal breaker.

Sometimes, durability gets traded for the sake of appearances. Obviously, metal is going to be stronger than ceramic. All-ceramic crowns are designed to be the best balance of beauty and strength. Metal crowns, however, will ultimately be stronger.

Location is another factor. This really goes back to the appearance versus durability concern. For a tooth that will be visible when a person smiles, all-ceramic is an obvious choice. For a rear molar that will be doing most of the heavy chewing, it may be more appropriate to use another type of crown for the sake of making the dental work last longer.

The Bottom-Line on All-Ceramic Crowns

In summary, all-ceramic crowns are a marvel of modern cosmetic dentistry. Just be sure that your dentist is highly skilled in creating and affixing custom crowns. This will ensure that you get your money’s worth.

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