Do I Need a Crown When My Filling Wears Out?

When a filling reaches the end of its life, it's time to consider an alternative. Usually it's best to switch to a crown. Unlike a filling, a crown covers and protects a damaged tooth and can keep it from breaking.

The edges of these small fillings have broken, and they have lost their seal. Since most of the tooth is still intact, it's safe to replace them with new fillings. It's a different story for large fillings. From a top view, a filling like this doesn't look too bad. However, from a side view, it's clear that hardly any tooth structure remains to keep the tooth from breaking. After a tooth breaks, it is much more difficult to repair. Switching to a crown when a large filling has worn out protects and strengthens the tooth.

Do I Need a Crown after Root Canal Treatment?

After root canal treatment, the tooth is weak and brittle. It is weak because the center of the tooth was removed to get at the infected nerve; only the sides of the tooth are left for support. And it is more brittle because the nerve and blood supply are gone.

There is a tremendous amount of force on the edges of the teeth when they bite together, so it's likely that this tooth will break. After a tooth breaks, it is much more difficult to repair. A crown covers and protects a root canaled tooth and helps to prevent it from breaking.

Placing a Crown on a Tooth

It takes two appointments to restore your teeth with a crown. That's because a crown is custom-crafted in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.

To make the entire process comfortable for you, the first thing your dentist will do is make sure the affected area is thoroughly numb. Then any decay is removed with the handpiece, and the tooth is shaped.

Sometimes, to make a more accurate impression of the tooth, a piece of string is placed between the tooth and the gums. This gently pushes the gums away from the tooth.

Impressions create an accurate working model of the mouth, including the prepared tooth. This helps to re-create your natural bite.

For the week or two that it takes the dental lab to fabricate your new crown, you'll have a temporary crown. At your next visit, the temporary crown is removed, and you'll try out your new crown. Your dentist will check the fit and your bite. When everything looks good, your new crown crown will be cemented into place to complete the procedure.