We cover teeth that have been prepared for a crown or bridge with an acrylic tooth and a temporary cement that takes about 30 minutes to completely set.

The temporary is not very strong and you should avoid eating hard or sticky foods on that side of the mouth. When you floss your teeth, either skip the temporary or floss by letting go of the floss and pulling it straight out the side instead of pulling up or down (this will avoid pulling the crown off).

After your appointment of preparing for the crown or bridge you could take a pain reliever such as aspirin or Ibuprofen before the numbness wears off. To help the gum tissue feel and heal better please rinse with warm salt water for a couple of days. Use 1 tsp. of salt to a 1/2 cup of warm water.

If the temporary crown comes off before you are scheduled to get your permanent crown or bridge please call the office to re-cement it. In the mean time you can use either a denture adhesive or Vaseline inside of the temporary crown, which will create a suction to temporarily hold it in place.

To keep your teeth from shifting, make sure the temporary is kept on your tooth so that the permanent crown will fit properly.