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Once a crown is cemented, there are only two alternatives to drilling through the crown. Your dentist could attempt to remove the crown without damaging it although this possibility is highly unlikely. The second alternative, which is the most invasive, would be to access the root at the bottom of the tooth by going through the gum and bone. After making an access hole through your crown, your dentist will place a permanent filling. Although you may not like the idea of your dentist drilling through your crown, this option would be the least invasive and the crown should be expected to last for year after with proper maintenance. Good luck and I hope this helps! Click "save" under my name, if you'd like to ask me more questions in the future.
While it may seem destructive to cut a hole thru a crown to perform root canal therapy, the alternative is much more invasive. The only OTHER way to access the root canal system would be what is called "apicoectomy" surgery, where we cut a hole in the gums and bone from the side. This is ONLY done if regular root canal treatment has been done and we are treating just the tip of the root, and only if the tooth is restorable. Hopeless teeth are NOT candidates for apico treatment.Teeth that have had this much destruction are usually treatment planned for implants in the future.
You could have the dentist or endodontist try to use an "Almore" sticky candy type of crown puller. You would bite into this with dry teeth, hold for 10 seconds then open rapidly. Sometimes this works to pull a crown off. You can not have a crown on the opposite teeth or it may pull it off too. If this doesn't work, you will have to have a hole drilled through he crown which can be filled with composite. Hey, go have a piece of pizza for me at Giovanni's in downtown Beaverton. I lived in Beaverton 28 years ago when I did my Post-Doctoral residency up on the hill in Portland. You live in a beautiful area. Enjoy every day you are there!
Hi:There are three options to do a root canal once a crown is cemented:1. Try to remove the crown without damage: unlikely possiblity2. Go through the crown. Most likely and least invasive3. Go through the gum and the bone to get to the bottom of the tooth (Apicoectomy). Most invasive.Best,Dr. Maddahi
Yes, there is. It is call an apicoectomy. This procedure is a surgical procedure through you gum and bone to get to the root. I only recommend this procedure after the standard root canal through the tooth (crown) is performed. It is far more conservative to go through the crown than gum and bone. Usually crowns can last for years even with a filling in the hole of the crown.