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What happens when you get a crown????

L

Luba1

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
74
Hello again. I'm feeling rather nervous. I have 3 root canalled teeth, 2 of which will be getting crowns over the next few months (I can't afford to get all 3 done at once).

I'm wondering what exactly happens when one goes for a crown? I had one done when I was a kid, but honestly don't remember much. Why do I need two appointments? Does it hurt? Can it cause a root canal to flare up? What if my root canaled teeth don't feel 100% yet?

Man, have I had a ton of dental problems recently. :(
 
About 1.5mm of tooth is removed all the way around, an impression (mould) is made from the tooth and then a temporary crown is fitted.
At the second visit, the temp is removed and the permanent crown cemented on.
It doesn't hurt if the teeth are previously root filled. It's unlikely to cause a root canal to flare up.
 
Hej Luba!

The idea of crowning a root-filled tooth is to re-inforce the tooth as it will have been weakened to some extent by having the root filling (think of a root filling as just a really big filling, hence less natural tooth material, thus a bit weaker). Also to seal the tooth from any bacteria in the mouth, and I guess for aesthetics, to disguise any big fillings...

Plenty of people have root canal filled teeth without having a crown placed. Some dentists place the crown straight away, some leave it for a couple of months to make sure that the tooth has settled first.

Providing the root filling has been completed properly, ie effectively sealed at the end of the root then crown placement should not affect the tooth at all. The main indicators of this are 1- the tooth is symptomless & pain free. 2- the dentist has an x-ray of the root filled tooth, showing the root filling as close to the end of the root as possible ( the dentist should be happy to show you any x-rays of your teeth and discuss them with you). Personally, (speaking as a dentist) I wouldn't crown a tooth that didn't feel 100%. But then, it's your tooth, only you really know how it feels. Let the dentist know.

If it's a front tooth, the dentist may want to crown it straight away to improve your smile, but he/she could equally leave it for a while to make sure it settles first.

Just my two-p worth, bear in mind that I don't know you or your teeth!

hope that helps.

Pars
 
Can someone explain the procedure for a permanent crown and also how long does it usually take ?   Thanks so much.
 
When I had my permanent crown fitted all they did was pop the old temp out, fit the permanent one, have me bite down so they could adjust it properly and then that was about it, I think it took about 10 minutes
 
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