• To maintain your restored smile, immediately brush and floss.
• Do not use any kind of baking soda toothpastes. They are the most abrasive toothpastes and they may alter the surface texture of the restorations. Be careful with tartar control toothpastes. They can cause unwanted sensitivity.
• Avoid alcohol and dark liquids for 48 hours. Afterwards, immoderate alcohol usage could reduce the life of your restorations. Avoid mouthwashes that contain alcohol or are deeply pigmented such as Listerine & Scope.
• Excessive use of coffee, tea, soy sauces, colas, or dark (does not shorten life of restorations but can cause staining) fruit juices will also shorten the life of your restorations.
• Don't use your teeth as tools to open candy wrappers, bottles, pens, nuts, or grasp pins, screws, paper clips, etc.
• Do Not: chew on ice, bones, fingernails, frozen chocolate bars, pens, pencils or spare ribs.
• Do not be concerned if you should encounter minor speech alterations (S's, V's, & F's) in the first 48 hours after major cosmetic changes. Accommodation occurs rapidly.
• If you have a professional cleaning elsewhere, advise the dentist/hygienist to use unflavored, non-fluoride paste (DIAMOND PASTE POLISHING).
• Avoid wearing dark lip colors for the first 48 hours after placement.
• Avoid biting any hard food with your front teeth. Keep to a minimum any sticky, sugary foods that can weaken the bond between the restorations and the tooth.
• We will provide you with a protective retainer to prevent you from chipping or fracturing your restorations while you are sleeping.

A temporary restoration is a filling or crown that is placed in or over your tooth until the lab processed filling or crown is made and ready to be placed. It is normal for the gum tissue around the tooth to be a little sore when the anesthesia wears off. Chewing sticky foods can sometimes dislodge the temporary. Please refrain from chewing gum, caramel, taffy, etc. on the side with the temporary. It is not uncommon to have the following reactions with the temporary:

• IT FEELS ROUGH. 
Please call us if it is making the tongue sensitive.
• IT CAME OFF. This is probably the most common problem. It is supposed to come off easily and some foods will help this. Again, stay away from sticky and crunchy foods. It is very important for the temporary to stay in place. It helps prevent sensitivity and retains necessary space. If it should come off, call our office immediately so we can recement it back in place. If you can't get in right away to see us, you can use Vaseline or denture adhesive to hold it in place until we see you.
• IT FEELS HIGH. Come in so we can adjust it. You can bruise your tooth if it is too high.
• IT IS NOT HOW I WANT THE CROWN TO LOOK. Don't worry; we have only a few shades from which to select your temporary crown. The lab will match the shade of your teeth.
• IT IS SENSITIVE. The temporary will not always fit as well as the lab crown, so there may be some sensitivity to hot and cold as well as chewing. If it is too uncomfortable, please call.

The temporary is very important. It protects the exposed dentin so it is not sensitive, prevents food from gathering in the preparation, and prevents the prepared tooth from shifting and moving. Use your toothbrush to clean the temporary as you normally do your other teeth. Floss through the contact and then slide the floss out the side instead of upward. If you normally use Rotopoints (white picks), you can continue to do so.

• Do not eat for one hour after your appointment to allow cement extra time to set.
• A tooth colored restoration will look even better after the surrounding teeth have had a chance to rehydrate. The tooth should feel comfortable while chewing. If the tooth bothers you while chewing, because of the pressure of hitting it too hard, please call our office. We will have you come in to adjust the bite.
• There may be some sensitivity to cold. This should last just a few days, but might last a few months before it gradually diminishes.

• Do not chew ice.
• Brush normally. Plaque must be removed daily! Ask your dentist about anti-plaque mouthwashes and toothpastes.
• Floss teeth at least once daily, but pull floss our horizontally, not vertically.
• Have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice yearly.
• Don't bite your fingernails. The force can crack the bonding.
• Don't pick at a newly bonded tooth with your fingernail. You could pull open a small over-extension and shorten the life of the material. If you feel a rough edge with your tongue, return to the dentist to have the edge properly refinished.
• To prevent staining, try to avoid or keep to a minimum coffee, tea, soy sauce, colas, grape juice, blue berries, and fresh cherries. And do not smoke if possible.
• To prevent fractures, avoid directly biting with front bonded teeth into the following foods: hard candy, apples, carrots, nuts, hard rolls, hard bread and bagels. Also, try to avoid sugar because acids produced by sugar can attack the junction between tooth and restoration and cause stains and premature loss of the bonded restoration.

You may have a very commonly occurring problem in one of your teeth. Teeth may crack when subjected to the stress of chewing hard foods or ice, or by biting on an unexpected hard object. Teeth with or without restorations may exhibit this problem, but teeth restored with typical silver alloy restorations are most susceptible. Symptoms or signs are some or all of the following:

• Pain on chewing
• Pain on cold air application
• Unsolicited pain (usually leakage of sugar into tooth crack).
• No radiographic evidence of problem.
• No dental decay present.
• Easy verification of crack when tooth is prepared for restoration.

Treatment for cracked teeth:

• SIMPLE CRACK: The majority of cracked teeth (about nine out of ten) can be treated by placement of a simple crown on the tooth. When the tooth is prepared for the crown, and a temporary restoration is placed, the pain usually leaves immediately. If this is the case with your tooth, we will place the final crown without a problem on your next appointment and the condition should be solved.
• COMPLEX CRACK: Occasionally (about one in ten) the tooth cracks into the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. If the pain persists after placement of the temporary crown, you may have a crack into the pulp of the affected tooth. Please call us. This tooth may require endodontics (root canal therapy) before the crown is placed. This requires about two additional appointments before the crown is placed.

Most fillings are very comfortable. If you are experiencing sensitivity to temperature or biting pressure please call for an appointment to check the filling or adjust the bite. This takes only a few minutes and will not cause discomfort.