I had a molar crowned after a root canal, and my dentist warned me to be careful with stuff like apples or nuts.
I totally get this. I just finished my first root canal and got a crown, and honestly, I’m still paranoid about biting into anything hard. I keep thinking it’ll just snap off or something. My dentist said the crown is pretty tough, but I still cut up apples and even avoid popcorn. Maybe it’s overkill, but after all that work (and money), I don’t want to risk it.
My friend told me he eats everything like normal now, so maybe we’re just being extra careful? Still, I think I’ll stick to cutting things up for now. The pain’s gone at least, and that’s a huge relief. Guess it’s just about finding what feels safe.
Funny thing, I used to be super cautious with my crowned molar too—cutting up everything, skipping nuts, the whole deal. But after a while, I realized I was babying it more than necessary. That crown’s been solid for over five years now, and honestly, I chew on apples and even the occasional almond without a second thought. I think sometimes dentists err on the side of caution, but these modern crowns are tougher than they look. Just my two cents... sometimes we worry more than we need to.
I can relate to that—after my first crown, I treated it like fragile china. Wouldn’t touch anything crunchy for months. But over time, I realized those things are sturdier than we give them credit for. I still don’t go wild on jawbreakers or anything, but apples, carrots, even popcorn now and then… the crown’s held up just fine.
I do think dentists sometimes make us a bit more nervous than necessary. Mine warned me about sticky candies (which, fair enough, I avoid anyway), but made it sound like biting into anything harder than bread would pop the crown off. That hasn’t been my experience at all. Five years in, and it’s as solid as the day it went in.
Funny thing is, the root canal part was what really stressed me out at first. I’d heard horror stories growing up—turns out, it was a breeze compared to what I imagined. Numbed up, barely felt a thing, and the relief afterward was worth every minute in that chair. The worst part honestly was just keeping my mouth open so long.
If you’re worried about eating “normally” after a crown, I’d say just be sensible. Maybe ease into crunchier stuff if you’re nervous, but don’t let it make you paranoid. These modern crowns are tough. If you take care of your teeth and don’t use ‘em as nutcrackers or bottle openers (learned that lesson the hard way in college…), they’ll probably last you ages.
Anyway, glad to hear your pain’s gone and you had a good experience. Makes a world of difference not dreading meals or worrying every bite.
I was super cautious with my first crown too—basically avoided anything crunchier than toast for weeks. What surprised me was how quickly I forgot about it once I got used to the feel. I’ve had braces and a couple of root canals, and honestly, the anticipation is always way worse than the procedure. Like you, I found keeping my mouth open for ages way more uncomfortable than any pain. I still avoid really sticky stuff (especially with all this orthodontic gear), but eating “normally” came back faster than I expected. Crowns these days are built to last, as long as you use a little common sense.
That’s funny, I had almost the exact same experience after my first crown. For some reason, I was convinced it would feel like a rock in my mouth forever, but after a week or two I honestly stopped noticing it at all. The only time I remember it’s there is when I accidentally bite down on something really hard (like those mystery nuts in granola bars... why do they always sneak in there?), and then I get a little paranoid for a second.
I totally relate to the whole “anticipation is worse than the actual thing” vibe. My root canal was basically just a long, boring session of keeping my mouth open—my jaw was more sore than my tooth afterward. I kept waiting for the pain everyone talks about, but it never really showed up. Maybe I got lucky? Or maybe dentists have just gotten way better at this stuff.
I’m still a little nervous about sticky candies, mostly because I had a crown pop off once when I was chewing gum (rookie mistake). Now I just kind of give anything super chewy the side-eye and hope for the best. But yeah, eating normal food came back way quicker than I thought. Sometimes I wonder if all the horror stories are just outdated or if people are tougher than they let on.
Anyone else notice that you start to forget which tooth even had the work done? Every now and then I’ll be brushing and have to double-check which one is the crown. Makes me appreciate how good dental tech has gotten. Still, I’m not signing up for another root canal anytime soon... once was enough for me.
