Why We Recommend a Crown After a Root Canal

If you’ve ever had a root canal, you know that it can be a stressful and uncomfortable experience. While the procedure is designed to save your natural tooth and relieve pain, it’s important to understand that a root canal can leave your tooth weakened and vulnerable to further damage. That’s why, at Starbright Dental, we recommend a dental crown after a root canal. In this blog post, we’ll explain why a dental crown is necessary, what it entails, and the benefits it provides. We’ll also highlight our use of the 3Shape Trios Intraoral Scanner to take accurate digital impressions of the tooth, ensuring a precise and comfortable fit for our patients.

Understanding Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic treatment, is a dental procedure used to treat infected or damaged teeth. The procedure involves removing the damaged or infected pulp tissue from inside the tooth, cleaning the root canals, and filling them with a special dental material. Root canal treatment is usually recommended when a tooth has a deep cavity, a cracked tooth, or has undergone multiple dental procedures.

Why a Dental Crown is Needed After a Root Canal

After a root canal, the tooth becomes brittle and more susceptible to fracture due to the loss of its blood supply and moisture content. To protect the tooth and prevent it from breaking, a crown is usually recommended. A dental crown is a cap that is placed over the tooth to restore its shape, size, and strength. Crowns can be made from a variety of materials, including porcelain, ceramic, or metal alloys.

Fitting a Dental Crown After a Root Canal

To fit a crown after a root canal, the dentist first prepares the tooth by removing a small amount of the remaining tooth structure. This is necessary to ensure that the crown fits properly and doesn’t interfere with the bite. The dentist then takes an impression of the prepared tooth using the 3Shape Trios Intraoral Scanner. This digital scanner captures accurate 3D images of the tooth, eliminating the need for messy and uncomfortable traditional impressions.

The digital impressions are sent to a dental lab, where a custom-made crown is fabricated to fit the patient’s tooth precisely. In the meantime, the patient is fitted with a temporary crown to protect the tooth. Once the permanent crown is ready, the patient returns to the dentist’s office for the final fitting. The dentist removes the temporary crown and bonds the permanent crown onto the tooth using a special dental adhesive.

Benefits of a Dental Crown After a Root Canal

A crown not only protects the tooth from fracture but also restores its function and appearance. It prevents further infection by sealing the tooth from bacteria and debris. Additionally, a crown can improve the overall aesthetics of a smile by restoring a damaged or discolored tooth to its natural beauty.

Conclusion

At Starbright Dental, we are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality dental care using the latest technology and techniques. That’s why we use the 3Shape Trios Intraoral Scanner to take accurate digital impressions of the tooth, ensuring a precise fit and comfortable experience for our patients.

If you’re in need of a root canal or have recently undergone the procedure, be sure to ask your dentist about the benefits of a crown. Contact Starbright Dental today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how a crown can protect and restore your smile.

To book a consultation, call us on 07 5591 3620 or book an appointment using our online booking system.