Do You Need Dental Crown After Root Canal Therapy

Overview

A treatment used to alleviate tooth pain and deter the tooth from future infection and damage, Root Canal is completed with a protective cap called a dental crown, in the majority of cases. A dental crown is popularly considered the final step after the root canal.

But it’s also fairly common for patients to wonder if this ‘final step’ of root canal treatment is actually important. 

Root Canal Treatment in itself is quite feared by the patients, thus the addition of a dental crown seems terrifying to many.

What is Root Canal Therapy?

A treatment to repair and salvage a damaged or infected tooth without removing it is called a “root canal”. The term is derived from the cleaning of the canals inside a tooth’s root.

About a few decades ago, root canal treatments were most painful. But with the advancement of dental science and local anesthetics, there is almost no pain experienced by the patients during the procedure. 

Living with a decayed tooth is probably more painful. The alternatives to Root canal consist of extraction of the damaged tooth, no other treatment, or substituting the tooth with a dental implant, bridge, or removable partial denture.

During the root canal, an endodontist or dentist gains access to the center of a tooth to eliminate the infection.

The infection that travels to the roots of a tooth is called pulpitis, (infection of the pulp) deep inside a tooth.

Usually caused due to advanced tooth decay which is left untreated or a sudden trauma damaging a tooth, all the infection enters into the pulp. 

The small hole on the surface of the tooth is made by the dentist during the root canal procedure and then all the damaged pulp is removed.

The inner tooth is cleaned to remove any remaining debris. All of the tooth’s nerves & blood vessels are present in this pulp.

The end of the procedure provides the patients with a tooth that is hollow and painless. It is then filled with a distinctive dental material, which helps to seal it and prevent anything from getting inside.

A crown can help to add support and prevent any further damage to the tooth that no longer contains pulp inside it.

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