The process of having a tooth covered with a dental crown is pretty straightforward from the patient's perspective. It's not a painful procedure, and generally, you won't have to follow any dietary restrictions or healing protocols afterwards. Still, it is nice to know what to expect in the hours and days following your crown application. Here's a look at some of the subtle changes and effects you can expect.

An "out of place" feeling in your mouth.

Expect to spend a lot of time going back and forth over your new crown on the first few days you have it. Though it should feel like a normal tooth, it will feel slightly larger than your regular tooth and the texture might be a bit different. It will take your tongue a few days to get used to the feeling, but soon you won't even notice the crown in your mouth.

Sensitivity to hot and cold.

If you feel any pain in the crowned tooth when you're just sitting around or chewing on something room temperature, you should certainly contact your dentist, as this could be a sign that your crown was not placed properly. However, you should not be alarmed if your tooth seems a bit sensitive when you bite into or sip something hot or cold. Sensitivity to hot and cold is normal following a crown placement. The dentist often has to file down the tooth a bit in order to make the crown fit properly, and this can leave some of the nerves a bit sensitive. This symptom, too, should subside within a few weeks. If you are still experiencing tooth sensitivity after a few weeks, talk to your dentist about using a special rinse or toothpaste to help.

A metallic taste.

Some patients who have crowns find that they experience a metallic taste in the mouth after having the crown applied. This may become more pronounced when you eat salty foods. Rest assured that like the other issues above, this taste will go away with time. It is not actually the metal in the crown you are tasting (dentists are careful to use a non-reactive metal that won't break down), but the cement used to put the crown in place. This explains why even patients with porcelain crowns still experience this metallic taste from time to time.

If you have any questions about changes you experience after having a crown put in place, talk to your dentist. For most patients, getting used to having a crown is very straightforward and painless.