Why Do You Have To Watch What You Eat When You Have A Dental Crown?

Dentist Blog

Aren't dental crowns supposed to be tough? Will food really damage them or make them fall out? Is it even worth getting a crown given this information?

Yes, it's still worth getting a dental crown. Food doesn't affect dental crowns because the crowns are super fragile; it affects them because the pressure exerted on the crown as it's wedged between teeth is too much for the adhesive bond or the side of the crown that's being crushed. It's physics, not manufacturing defects, that are at play.

Which Foods Are Problems for Dental Crowns?

Anything that's hard to chew—not something that's just hard, but something that's specifically hard to chew—or things that are super sticky can damage the dental crown. Those hard-to-chew foods that require a lot of effort to bite into can crack the crown's surface. For example, a hard apple like a Granny Smith likely wouldn't be much of a problem because it's not that hard to chew. But an ice cube is a complete no for chewing. Even a tough steak can be an issue because of the pressure needed to chew through it.

As for sticky foods, they can yank the crown off if they are sticky enough. Crown adhesive isn't invincible, and something very sticky, like a dry but chewy pecan praline candy, can do a number on dental work.

Why Would Food Outside the Crown Affect the Adhesive Under the Crown?

So far there have been a couple of mentions of the adhesive being affected. Something very sticky pulling the crown off is understandable, but even those hard-to-chew items can cause the adhesive to fracture. How is that possible? If the adhesive has weakened, and the chewing pressure tends to flow to one side of the tooth, the shear stress placed on the adhesive can cause it to break.

Is There Any Way to Still Eat Those Foods?

When dentists tell you not to eat certain things because of the crown, what they really mean is to avoid exposing the crown to those foods. Chew them on the other side of your mouth if you don't have crowns on that side or find another way to enjoy the foods if you do, such as cutting them into much smaller pieces. You can let ice cubes melt, of course, and you can dice tough steak so that each piece requires less force to chew.

Speak with your dentist about the adhesive they use for dental crowns and how many foods you need to be aware of. 

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15 March 2022

Fluoride: Why I Drink Tap Water

When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.