Foods Fit For A Crown: What You Can Eat From Installation To Daily Life

If you're getting a crown added soon, either temporary or permanent, you need to look at your diet and what foods you tend to eat. What you put in your mouth directly affects the crown, potentially leading to damage if you eat the wrong food. You can still eat, of course, but please pay attention to these restrictions so that your crown stays in good shape.

No Chewing at First

Regardless of the type of crown you get, avoid chewing anything (just avoid eating anything, really) for the first hour or so. Your dentist will give you a more exact time frame. You need to give the crown time to settle—the adhesive needs to harden—and chewing anything is going to make that take longer. It could even dislodge the crown, which is as distressing as it sounds.

Don't try chewing on the other side of your mouth, either. For one thing, you could forget temporarily and chew on the side with the crown. For another, your mouth will likely be sore. Let it rest.

Soft Foods at First

Soon after the crown is placed, you'll be able to eat soft foods. Your dentist will give you parameters for how hard the food can be. For example, you may need to stick with very soft foods for a few days—bread, ice cream, cooked vegetables that you don't have to bite down on with a lot of force—and then move to crisper foods, like diced apples, a few days or weeks later.

Sticky or Hard Food Restrictions

The real problems are sticky and hard foods. Avoid these completely for temporary crowns; the crowns aren't secured enough to resist the pull of sticky foods, and they are fragile enough to be damaged if you chew hard foods. After you have your permanent crown added, you still need to be cautious of these foods. Chew them on the other side of your mouth if you can. Softer sticky foods, like cheese, may be less problematic than very sticky foods, like caramels, but check with your dentist first.

Staining Foods

You have to be aware of how foods can stain your crown. This isn't such a bad thing for temporary crowns because those will be removed, but your permanent crown could take on stains from foods like blueberries, wine, and tea very easily. Again, chew on the other side of the mouth, avoid holding staining liquids in your mouth (just swallow them as you drink instead of bathing your teeth in them), and brush regularly.

Your dentist will give you more information, so don't be nervous about asking for details. You can eat your favorite foods for the most part—you simply have to know what and when you can eat. For more information, contact a professional in your area or visit a website like http://www.treasuredsmilesdentistry.com.