Should I crown my tooth right after root canal?

Question

I did root canal for one of my teeth at the end of April this year. And then I've been told that I should do the following procedures: pre-formed post and porcelain crown. Can I do the pre-formed post and crown next year because this year I do not have dental insurance. I have already spent a lot on the root canal.

Joseph H. Hidalgo, DDS · Answer

It depends on where the tooth is located. If it is in the back and one of the chewing teeth then a crown done as soon as possible is optimum. If your tooth was badly decayed prior to the root canal then you should do the post and core as soon as possible. You can have your dentist do a temporary crown with it and have him permanently cement it to buy you some time until next year. Don't chew on that area with hard things and you could very well protect it. The worst thing you can do is not do anything and risk fracturing the tooth and then losing it. Then you have blown the dollars you spent on the root canal. Hope these thoughts help. Check with your dentist.

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS · Answer

Hi:Generally a root canal tooth is more brittle and is suseptible to fracture.  It's best to cover the tooth with a crown right away.Best,Dr. Maddahi

Miles Cone, DMD · Answer

Hello, my name is Miles.
Without knowing which tooth had the root canal (i.e., was it an incisor or a molar?), and without an x-ray and ideally an intraoral photograph of the tooth, this question is impossible to answer.  However, there are some general guidelines that I believe apply.  For example, if you had the root canal on one of your front teeth (an incisor or a canine), often times, a crown is not necessary at all.  The same holds true in many cases if you had the root canal done through an existing crown on a molar or premolar.
A preformed post may or may not be necessary - it all depends on how much tooth structure has been lost to decay and the root canal, if there is a large filling that needs to be replaced, and how tall/short the existing tooth is.  If a post IS necessary, the dental literature recommends fiber posts vs. metal posts.  The physical properties of fiber posts are advantageous in that they are not as rigid as metal and since the treatment plan calls for a ceramic crown, fiber posts are more cosmetic and won't show through the material.
In regards to your questions and concerns to wait a year to receive definitive treatment with a crown, this is also impossible to answer for certain.  I have had patients walk around with a tooth that had a root canal and no crown for several years with no complications.  However, I have also had patients show up at my door that had a root canal within a year, did not follow recommendations to crown the tooth, and the remaining tooth fractured below the gumline and now requires a much more expensive extraction and implant.  The literature indicates that after about 5 years without treatment, the survival rate for molars that have had a root canal without a crown is less than 50%.  
Warm regards from Portland, ME
-miles

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Should I crown my tooth right after root canal?

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