Temporary dental cement is an agent which helps in binding crown to a cut tooth surface. It is generally used in temporary dental fillings and also to cement temporary crowns. It is very much helpful for dentists to process the fillings and crown fitting.
As said, temporary dental cement is used for crowns and fillings. In case of fitting crowns, dentists first prepare the tooth surface to make a crown sit on it. The prepared tooth should be protected till the crown is attached. Otherwise the structure may get chipped and this may waste the whole effort of dentist. The crown is attached to the tooth surface with the help of temporary dental cement. Also, the design of the final crown has to be customized as per the patient tooth aesthetics and this takes time. So it better to fix a temporary crown before fitting a final crown.
The other common use of temporary dental cement is for dental fillings. Sometimes, a tooth decay may extend till the region very close to the pulp without touching it. Root canal treatment is done in order to treat it. However, as a last effort, dentists try to use temporary fillings. In this process, the dentists fill the tooth with dental cement having agents such as calcium. It helps to rebuild the dentin in the tooth. It then helps to form a bridge of dentin that prevents the progression of caries.
Whether used for crowns or fillings, however, the patient should take certain precautionary measures after using temporary dental cement. Avoiding sticky foods, extra and careful brushing and flossing, avoiding biting of hard substances and so on are some of the things to be followed when you have a temporary dental cement.