Do You Need a Crown After a Root Canal?

If you have a tooth that is severely decayed, damaged, or infected, a root canal is recommended to save it. Root canal treatment effectively preserves the tooth and prevents complications that may cause tooth loss.

At Sierra Dental, our endodontic treatments and root canal therapy are led by our in-house specialist, Dr. Kiarash Shabehpour. His commitment is to save your natural tooth so you can enjoy it for life.

With that, he usually recommends a dental crown after getting a root canal treatment. However, it is not always the case. It still depends on factors such as your existing oral health and remaining tooth structure.

Read to learn more about root canal and dental crowns to give you a better understanding of these dental treatments.

What is a Root Canal?

Our endodontists offer root canals as a treatment to save an infected or damaged tooth. It is recommended if dental fillings are no longer enough to save the tooth and a more comprehensive treatment is needed.

A standard root canal procedure involves cleaning the inside of the tooth, or the root canals, to disinfect it and restore its health.

At Sierra Dental, some cases that may require a root canal in our clinic are:

• A large crack or cavity on your tooth
• Presence of significant decay that has reached the tooth pulp
• Dental infection
• Severe toothache and swollen gums due to infection
• Discoloured tooth due to trauma

If you are unsure if you need a root canal, our experienced endodontist can help. We invite you to book your complimentary consultation, no referrals required! We will check your tooth and determine if a root canal is the right fix.

What is a Dental Crown?

On the other hand, a dental crown is a tooth cap that is placed over a damaged tooth. At Sierra Dental, our dental crowns are usually made with tooth-coloured porcelain or ceramic material. These have excellent aesthetics and durability to rebuild the appearance and strength of your tooth.

A dental crown is almost always placed after getting a root canal. This is because a root canal will further weaken your tooth. With a crown, we can prevent further damage to the tooth and preserve its natural function for a long time.

Why is a Crown Needed After a Root Canal?

Root canal treatment is done to eliminate infection, then a crown is designed after to restore the form and function of the tooth. At Sierra Dental, we recommend these procedures be done in tandem.

If a dental crown is not placed, we risk reinfection and damage to the tooth because it lacks proper protection and support. Eventually, the treatment will fail and tooth extraction may be recommended if significant damage is present.

Benefits of a Crown After a Root Canal

To give you a better idea of why we recommend getting a crown after root canal, here is a list of why our patients love these treatments:

Improves the form and function of the tooth

A dental crown will allow your tooth to function as normally as possible. This includes providing additional strength to the tooth to withstand daily biting and chewing. We recommend a zirconia dental crown for restoring the back tooth as it offers incredible durability. So, you can eat your favourite foods without worrying that your crown or tooth will break.

Creates a natural-looking smile

Dental crowns are bespoke to your smile. Each is designed to mimic the size, shape, colour, and appearance of the adjacent teeth so it looks as lifelike as possible. We use porcelain crowns to restore a front tooth as it looks so much like your natural tooth.

Prevents tooth sensitivity

A tooth cap provides complete coverage for the tooth, including the tooth pulp where the nerves are. With this, we can protect the tooth from food and drinks that may trigger any sensitivity.

Protects the tooth against reinfection

A dental crown provides a complete seal to the root canal treated tooth, covering holes and cavities where decay was previously present. With our experienced team, your root canal treatment is carefully done to minimize complications, including reinfection.

Process of Crown Placement

After your root canal treatment, we can proceed with the dental crown restoration which generally involves four treatment phases. Here is a step-by-step guide so you can understand what is done in each phase:

1. Preparing the tooth

The first step is to reshape the tooth to prepare it to receive the dental crown. If there is not enough tooth structure to hold a crown in place, a post-and-core restoration may be completed by our endodontist. This will strengthen what is left of the tooth so it can support the crown.

2. Taking an impression

At Sierra Dental, we use a digital impression scanner to capture 3D images of your tooth. No need for manual, messy impressions, which can be quite uncomfortable. This will be sent to the laboratory where your custom crown will be made.

3. Placing a temporary crown

While you wait for the final crown, a customized temporary crown will be placed on the prepared tooth. This will avoid any damage or sensitivity until the final restoration is ready.

4. Cementing the crown restoration

When ready, we will fit your crown and check if the colour, shape, and size match the natural tooth. We will also assess the bite to ensure optimal comfort when you chew. If everything is up to quality, your dentist will secure the crown in place with a permanent cement.

At Sierra Dental, we take pride in creating custom crowns that fit precisely and stay securely in place, no shifting or discomfort. With good care, these crowns can last you for years and still look and feel good as new.

Alternatives to a Dental Crown

While a dental crown is the ideal restoration after root canal treatment, we understand that it may not be an accessible choice for everyone. Let our team know of your concerns so we can help you explore other options.

Some of the alternatives you can consider are:

Tooth Filling

A dental filling should suffice if the root canal treatment did not cause significant tooth reduction and there is still enough healthy tooth structure left. However, our endodontist does not recommend it for a larger restoration as it will break down easily.

If it cannot be helped and tooth filling is the only option, it must be replaced with a permanent dental crown as soon as possible.

Tooth Extraction

When considering getting a root canal treatment done, it is also important to ensure that the tooth will be restorable, whether through a filling or crown. If there is a large decay or damage present and restoring the tooth is not a sustainable option, a tooth extraction may be a better option.

Dental Implant

If tooth extraction is done, the tooth must be immediately replaced to prevent consequences such as shifting of teeth and gaps. Dental implants offer a modern solution to lost teeth by providing a lifelike replacement that mimics the function and appearance of natural teeth.

Protect Your Smile with Root Canal and Crowns

If you want to learn more about dental crowns, root canal treatment, and other dental treatments to restore your tooth and improve your smile, our team at Sierra Dental can help.

With broad treatment solutions and a team of general and specialist dentists, we are dedicated to creating personalized care designed to achieve your smile goals. Call us today at (403) 297-9600 for your initial consultation!