Dental problems are on the rise, and most of the time, studies relate them to cavities and tooth decay. A report of WHO states that oral diseases have become the most occurring noncommunicable disease. According to the report, oral diseases have affected almost half of the world population, mainly because of an unhealthy diet and the use of addictive substances. Our oral health determines our communication ability. It is also an indicator of our overall health condition. Therefore, critical dental issues need more attention.
What is a root canal?
The phrase ‘root canal’ refers to the cavity within the middle of the tooth. The treatment procedure involves repairing a decayed tooth. A tooth can decay from several reasons like excessive consumption of sugar, tobacco smoking, not maintaining oral hygiene, etc. In a root canal treatment, the dentists clean the pulp out of the severely decayed tooth, after which the doctors seal it.
What is a dental crown?
A dental crown, as the name suggests, is a cover or cap that sits over a tooth. The crown helps to maintain the shape of the tooth, strengthens it, and also makes it look stylish. A crown covers the visible white portion of the tooth and your friends can easily detect it.
The crowns use metals like stainless steel, but there are other options also available like all-resin or all-porcelain crowns.
Why do we need dental crowns?
Dental crowns are the protectors of weak teeth. They help to keep a decayed or cracked tooth in its place. A dental crown restores a broken or worn tooth and covers the teeth that have dental stuffing in them. One can also opt for crowns to hide misshapen or ugly looking teeth.
After root canals, dentists apply dental crowns to prevent re-contamination of bacteria, which can damage the restored tooth.
Do you need a dental crown after a root canal?
If you are knowledgeable of the general opinion, you may think that you need a crown after a root canal. But it’s not that simple! Root canals are essential for chewing teeth that are towards the back of the mouth. The teeth at the front do not need crowns most of the time. Root canals are best suited for the teeth that go through the most grinding and can be subject to quick decay. Go through the following points to understand the feasibility of a dental crown after a root canal procedure:
- The process of a root canal involves the extraction of pulp from inside a tooth. This can seriously weaken the tooth or make it a subject to quick decay as dentists remove its dentin, enamel, and pulp, thwarting any natural future growth for the tooth. Therefore, after dentists apply artificial fillings, they advise the patient to opt for a crown that will save this weak tooth from fractures.
- Teeth at the front, such as incisors and canines, rarely need a crown as they endure less stress compared to premolars and molars. However, front teeth with a serious infection or structural decay are exceptions.
- Molars and premolars need the support of crowns after a root canal procedure. These teeth experience the most stress, and a strong crown filling stops easy decay and also provides a solid chewing surface to the patient.
- In a root canal procedure, the dentist cleans the pulp chamber in a tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels. Then the dentist fills the tooth and seals it to prevent further damage or infections. The option of having a crown comes only after the root canal is complete, and the function of the crown is simply to strengthen the tooth underneath. Hence, understand that you don’t need dental crowns for teeth that are more or less okay or have minor damage.
- If you visit a dentist with a tooth that has previous damage and has all its pulp removed, he or she will advise you to do a dental crown for the teeth no matter if it is a canine or premolar. When a tooth is on the brink of fracture, a dental crown is an obvious option.
- If the affected tooth has split into two halves, then it may not be possible to repair it with the root canal procedure. The dentist may ask to extract the tooth.
- Even when you go ahead with the root canal procedure and a subsequent dental crown for long-term security, you must choose a competent dental clinic with modern amenities. Nowadays, sophisticated machinery carries out most dental diagnoses, and that minimizes your pain. Modern dentists use reliable machines like the genoray x-ray machine, which would get rid of all the hassles you associate with a dental checkup.
- Ultimately, the dental recommendations depend on individual cases and you should be ready for whatever your dentist suggests. Reports show that root canal procedures done without dental crowns leave your teeth with a high chance of getting weak more quickly than those that had the support of cast crowns.
Conclusion:
A dental crown gives you additional protection after a root canal procedure. If you get a go-ahead from your dentist, opt for the crown after a root canal. However, the pieces of evidence are still small to establish a solid link between a dental crown and tooth longevity. Although dental crown protection after root canal leads to less decay and better crushing power for the tooth, there is no proven record that this will be the case on every occasion.
If you are facing tooth decay, and are about to go for a root canal, just be sure that a dental crown right after the root canal will cut down the expenses for the affected tooth in the long run. If you still have decay in the crowned tooth after some years, know that it would have decayed much earlier without the crown. So, judge according to your priorities and always go with the opinion of the experts.
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About the Author:
Jessica Smith has been writing articles for e-business and elance sites for more than 4 years. Her educational background is Masters in English and journalism which gives her a broad platform to write on a variety of topics with ease and efficiency. She is an independent writer especially enjoys writing on fashion, lifestyle, health, and medical niche.
Reference articles:
https://www.sheltondentistry.com/blog/do-you-need-a-crown-after-root-canal-treatment/
https://www.bauersmiles.com/2017/11/need-crown-after-root-canal.html/
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