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Patient Instructions
1. How to Clean Your New Teeth
You should be able to floss your new fixed restorations in a
normal manner. Use a soft toothbrush with toothpaste, preferably
one with fluoride, regardless of the type of restoration.
The choice of toothpaste is somewhat less clear. There have been
several published studies on the best toothpaste to use on teeth
with composite resins, but no study has given us the definitive
word. Although there are several toothpastes that advertise they
are specially designed for bonded teeth, there is no real proof
that any toothpaste if used properly, will harm bonding.
We recommend not cleaning your teeth more than three times as
day. Brushing should be done in moderation with proper technique
and not vigorous scrubbing.
2. Mouthrinses
Over the counter rinses do not provide a significant health
benefit, but are acceptable to freshen your breath. Most contain
alcohol and may create a dry mouth concern.
3. Eating
You should be able to enjoy whatever quality of life you
choose, without interference from your teeth. This means that your
new fixed restorations should not limit your enjoyment of eating a
variety of foods without worrying about consequences of your teeth.
However, this does not mean that you should ignore certain “common
sense’ suggestions of safe eating.
For example, scraping meat off a bone when eating spareribs or
biting raw carrots may not be particularly prudent if your front
teeth have been restored. In addition, heavily pigmented foods such
as berries have a propensity to stain teeth. Avoidance or eating
these types of food in moderation may prevent restorations from
losing their brilliance.
4. Drinking
As mention above with mouthwashes, alcohol has the ability to
hasten the demise of bonded restorations. In addition, dark drinks
like red wine are probably more offensive to esthetic restorations
than lighter-in-colour drinks. Non-alcoholic drinks can also cause
problems. Coffee and tea are notorious stain producers while soft
drinks such as Coke and Pepsi can be laden with sugar and acids and
may contribute to recurrent caries. Ice in any kind of drinks
should not be chewed.
5. Habits
This area includes biting fingernails, pencil, etc., all of
which can damage or dislodge restorations. Trying to open various
types of containers, envelopes, etc., with teeth can also lead to
loss of restorations.
6. Smoking
There no doubt that smoking is highly deleterious to both teeth
and restorations. Although smoking’s role in shortening the life of
a restoration is unclear, it certainly contributes to a significant
amount of stain accumulation.
7. Sensitivity
It is common following permanent cementation. It will usually
decrease after two weeks. If sensitivity persists, please notify
the office. |