Why do I need a crown after root canal treatment?

Why do I need a crown after root canal treatment?

Patients who have had root canal treatment often hear doctors recommend a crown after root canal treatment, but they don’t understand why a crown is needed.

Root canal treatment is a treatment method for pulp disease and periapical disease, while crowning is a method of tooth repair. Whether a crown is needed after root canal treatment depends on the degree of tooth damage. If the tooth is damaged When the tooth cannot be filled with filling material or the filling cannot gain enough strength to restore chewing function, a crown repair is required. Otherwise, it can be filled with permanent filling material.

There are three main reasons why a crown is needed after root canal treatment.

1. Because the teeth that need root canal treatment are usually carious (cavities) and have large defects. Although the root canal treatment is completed at this time, 

the remaining tooth tissue is very fragile and is very easy to break and crack. , lost its normal function, and it is no longer possible to restore the function simply by using materials.

2. Root canal treatment uses drugs and instruments to remove and disinfect the residue and bacteria in the root canal as much as possible. However, if such a disinfection process is to be carried out carefully, many teeth infected by bacteria must be removed, as well as dental tissue that has to be repaired. Therefore, once most teeth undergo root canal treatment, they may not be able to support the force of chewing and may break. It is impossible to restore function simply by using materials, and even if it can restore long-term effects, it will not be good.

3. After root canal treatment, the tooth loses the nutritional supply from the pulp. Just like a tree that has lost its roots, it slowly withers and becomes very fragile, causing the tooth to become more brittle and prone to splitting.

Due to these three reasons, the supporting strength of the entire tooth is significantly weakened. It may not be able to support the chewing pressure under certain specific conditions and may easily cause crown splitting. Therefore, a crown must be made in time to protect it. There are some precautions after wearing a dental crown: do not eat hard food; brush your teeth carefully, and seek medical attention promptly if your gums are red and swollen; and have regular check-ups.

After understanding the above reasons, I believe that patients who have had root canal treatment will no longer hesitate about the need for a crown.