Temporary Restorations

Temporary Restorations

(How to care for your temporary crown, bridge or veneer)

Temporary restorations are designed to cover and protect your tooth while the permanent restoration is being fabricated. This means that you will be wearing the temporary for approximately 2-3 weeks. These temporaries are usually made of acrylic and will not look or feel like your final restoration. The temporary is cemented with temporary cement; therefore, great care must be taken to avoid dislodging or breaking your temporary. While wearing your temporary you may note that the surface may not be as smooth as your natural tooth surface, you may also notice that the temporary feels a little larger or smaller than your original tooth size. Please keep in mind that it is very common for your temporized tooth to exhibit sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures.

The following is a list of tips that can help you maintain the temporary:

1.Avoid chewing directly on the temporary. Try to chew on the other side if possible.

2.Avoid sticky, hard or crunchy foods.

3.Please do not chew gum.

4.Avoid extremely hot or cold foods and drinks.

5.Brush the area gently, but do not floss around the temporary as this may cause the temporary to dislodge from the tooth.

6.Advil or Tylenol may be taken as directed on the bottle for any discomfort you may experience provided you have no allergies to these types of medications..

7.If your temporary works loose or comes off, that’s okay. Please call us at your convenience and we will schedule an appointment for recementation. If you are out of town, you can purchase over the counter crown & bridge temporary cement from any drugstore to recement the temporary. This should be sufficient until you can see us again. It is normal to experience sensitivity on the tooth while the temporary is off.