A root canal is a dental surgery that can vastly improve a patient’s outlook. That’s because it saves the tooth from being lost, even though it dies in the process. If left untreated the tooth would die anyway, so the only thing a root canal treatment does is prevent the need for dentures or implants.
Unfortunately, a root canal surgery leaves the inside of your tooth empty. The resulting cavity must be packed with an inert filler to cap off the tooth from the gums and the outside. This filler is never as strong as the original dentin and enamel. Many root canal patients need a root canal crown in order to add structural stability and strength while chewing.
With a dental crown, you receive a false tooth to cover the exposed portion of your tooth. It is very strong and durable, and acts as a protective seal over the filled tooth. Depending on your situation, a crown may be required in conjunction with a stabilizing post.
A post is just a rod anchored into the tooth root. They’re necessary for teeth that have lost a lot of internal volume. A post can help add strength where the crown will be weakest: the spot where the teeth contact each other for chewing. To place the post a dentist will usually drill a hole in the filling material within the tooth, and then cement the rod into place. The tooth is built up again with more filler and then eventually capped with the crown.
The crown is like a cup that is placed upside down over your tooth. It lies strictly above the gum line. Many of the older crowns were made of metals like gold, but more recent developments in porcelain and other life-like materials have made it possible to have crowns that look like the real thing.
The crown achieves the twofold purpose of replicate the look and feel of a real tooth, along with sealing the tooth off from further infection. To make a crown, the dentist first shaves down your target tooth to have a tapered shape that will accept an overlay. An impression is then taken of the tooth and a crown is cast with that exact fit. A tooth-like shape is then molded around the impression so that once it pops on top of your tooth and cemented in place, it will look exactly like neighboring teeth.
Root canals are a great way to save infected teeth from falling out. However, they usually leave the tooth structurally unstable due to the cavity it leaves behind inside. Though filler material can cap off a tooth from infection, a crown with rod can add the stability and strength that real teeth have, while preserving your look so you can smile all day without worry.
