If your dentist has recommended a dental crown, you may have a damaged tooth that needs more support. Crowns (or caps) can be composed of a variety of materials and can blend an unsightly damaged tooth seamlessly with your natural teeth. Fit is key when it comes to a crown, so read and find out some key fit facts about your new dental crown.

A Tight Fit to Your Existing Tooth is Key

The way your crown fits may have a lot to do with how much natural tooth your dentist has to work with. Some damaged teeth are little more than shells of the former tooth and don't provide much surface for the crown to adhere to. Natural teeth may wiggle back and forth but crowns should not wiggle much, if at all. A loose crown can cause all manner of problems. Those problems include more chances of breaking and the potential for bacteria to enter any spaces between the crown and your gums or tooth and wreak havoc with your gum health.

A Tight Fit With Adjoining Teeth is Key

Spaces between teeth are perfectly normal. Even those with extensive orthodontics work in the past will often see tiny spaces form between their teeth. These spaces can be perfect breeding grounds for food particles to get lodged. Once that happens, bacteria can run rampant. That is why everyone needs to floss every time they brush. When a crown is fitted, you should never see a space between it and the two teeth on each side. If you can just barely get your dental floss between those teeth, the fit is perfect. If you are unable to get the floss between your teeth, the crown may need to be need to be trimmed a bit. Spaces between crowns and other teeth are just as bad as those between natural teeth. Decay can occur in adjoining teeth and periodontal diseases may occur.

Your Bite is Key

The way your teeth feel when you put them together or when you eat is known as your bite. Dental procedures can make your bite feel different for a few days afterward as you adjust to things like fillings, extractions, crowns, and the like. With a new crown, your bite is about more than comfort. If you are having problems with the way your crown feels when you bite down and it's a few weeks post-visit, phone your dentist. Your teeth all depend on other teeth for optimum health and they need to come together properly for that to happen.

Speak to your dentist to learn more about crowns and the way they need to fit for restorative dentistry.