No one likes root canals. And adding another dental treatment, a crown, afterward seems like adding insult to injury. That’s why the dentists at the Dental Care Center are often asked: why is a dental crown is necessary after a root canal?
For the answer, let’s talk a little bit about what happens when a root canal is done. The dentist starts by drilling a hole in the center of the tooth. Then the dentist uses small files to hollow out the center of the tooth and root. This gets rid of the rotten and infected tissue. Once the roots are clean, the dentist fills them with a rubbery material to seal the hollow space.
Here is why a crown is placed on the tooth:
The tooth is usually badly broken down by decay or a fractured piece. A filling is not strong enough to replace a large piece of a broken tooth. If filled, the tooth will not be strong enough to support the biting forces while chewing. All it takes is a small piece of hard food, like a pretzel or hard candy, to break the filling or tooth.
When a root canal is done, the tooth is hollowed out, making the outer walls very thin. This weakens the tooth and makes it very susceptible to splitting or breaking. If the tooth splits, it can rarely be saved. It is a real shame to spend that much money on a root to only have it spilt and need to be removed.
Third, if the tooth is anywhere that will be seen, it can be quite ugly because they usually look dark or misshapen. A crown should be placed as soon as possible after the completion of the root canal to start protecting the tooth immediately.
