How to Know When You Need to Replace a Crown?

While dental crowns are not forever in the sense that they should be replaced within 15 to 20 years (as this is their lifespan), some factors could influence the need to replace a crown with another one. There are five main reasons why this could happen, which are:

• Worn crown: There are many reasons why dental crowns can wear down even faster than an ordinary tooth. First, this wear could occur from eating very hard foods, such as nuts or hard candy. The second reason would be certain habits, such as chewing objects, which will cause the dental crown and other teeth to wear down precipitously. Thus, when a dentist needs to replace a crown due to wear and tear should be done quickly to prevent it from affecting the mouth’s health.
  
  
• Loose or broken crown: It is possible that the dental crown loosens or breaks over time or for some external reason. If, for any reason, the patient feels that his dental crown is loose, it is necessary to go immediately to the dentist since, in this way, the dentist will be the one who will decide whether to replace a crown or simply adjust it. In the case that the dental crown has broken, then it will be mandatory to replace a crown with another one; the reasons why a dental crown can break are due to certain habits such as those mentioned in the previous point, so it is necessary to do everything possible to avoid doing them.
  
  
• Pain or discomfort in the crown area: As with any other dentistry service, if the patient has any type of pain or discomfort, it is necessary to visit the dentist. Sometimes this pain is caused because the gum is in the process of adapting to the dental crown; however, no conclusions should be drawn until you visit the dentist and indicate whether or not it will be necessary to replace a crown.
  
  
• Caries or infection under the crown: As mentioned in the previous point, during the recovery process, the gum is in the process of adaptation, so there may be some gaps that make the part under the crown exposed to some kind of infection. One could be the famous cavities that can appear under dental crowns, although many patients do not believe it. It should be remembered that this crown functions as a sheath, so part of the tooth is still in the mouth. Tooth decay is more common than it seems, and if it is not treated in time, it can infect and rot other teeth, cause the sufferer bad breath, and generate unbearable pain. If they do spread, then it is very likely that replacing a crown will be necessary.
  
  
• Fractured or broken tooth under the crown: In some cases, patients suffer some kind of fracture in the tooth under the dental crown, which forces them to replace a crown.

While these are not the only reasons patients need to replace a crown, they are the main reasons. Other reasons for needing a crown replacement may be due to dental crowns that no longer match the surrounding teeth, so to replace a crown would be necessary.