A dental crown is useful for covering up and protecting damaged teeth. You may need the treatment, for example, if your tooth enamel is cracked or worn out. However, just like other dental interventions, its best to protect your natural teeth rather than wait for them to be damaged and repair them. Here are a few tips to protect your teeth and reduce the need for a crown:

Limit Excessively Hard Foods

Excessively hard foods can cause cracks in your teeth, and it is these cracks that will grow into larger ones over time. Examples of such foods include things like frozen candy bars, hard pretzels, and even popcorn. The idea is not to avoid such foods completely, but to eat them sparingly. You don't want the small cracks to lead to a breakage on your enamel and necessitate a dental crown treatment.

Limit Acidic Foods

Acidic foods are also not good for you, because they wear down your enamel. The damage occurs over the course of many years, which means you may not notice it easily. The rate of wear may be accelerated if you don't brush and flush every day because the acids will stay on your teeth for a long time. Examples of acidic food include citrus fruits, wine, and fruit juice, among others.

Don't Use Your Teeth As A Tool

It is a bad habit to use your teeth as a tool, for example, by using it to open beer bottles, stripping electrical wires or clipping your nails. Those habits not only wear down your enamel, but they can also crack you're your teeth.

Protect Your Teeth during Sports Activities

An accidental knock on the teeth during a sporting activity, particularly contact sports, can also crack your enamel or break off your teeth, necessitating a crown treatment. Fortunately, there are various ways of protecting your teeth during such sports. Most forms of sports have protective gear, such as mouth guards, that you wear when playing so that any impact on your mouth doesn't cause much damage.

Deal With Your Bruxism

Bruxism is a dental problem characterized by constant teeth grinding and clenching. If you have the condition, you may find yourself clenching your teeth even when you are not aware you are doing it; you can even do it in your sleep. Unfortunately, it wears down the enamel and is also one of the things that can necessitate a crown treatment. Fortunately, there are ways of dealing with bruxism so that it doesn't cause permanent damage, consult your dentist for treatment.

All isn't lost, however, if the damage has already been done. Consult a dentist to help you get the best intervention for your case. Companies like Professional Dental Center can help.