Will I Have to Wait for my Braces to Come off Before I Can Get a Crown on a Molar?

Question

I've had braces for 6 months now and a month ago had to have root canal done on a bottom molar. Will I have to wait for my braces to come off before I can get a crown put on that molar? I'm worried my tooth will fracture/break if I don't have a crown on it. I still have at least 1.5 years left of orthodontic treatment left. I went to get a second opinion and that dentist said my dentist made the right call. Will attaching a bracket to a porcelain fused to metal crown damage it?

Leonard Tau, DMD · Answer

I would wait to get a permanent crown once your braces are completed. Attaching a bracket to porcelain is much more difficult than to either a tooth or temporary crown. I agree with the opinions you already received.

Carlo Biasucci, DDS · Answer

I would wait until ortho is done before getting into that. If the molar has a band on it for braces, it should be ok with the filling that was placed following the root canal. The bite and contacts will keep changing with braces so from alot of angles it's better to wait.

Jay Neuhaus, DDS · Answer

You should have a very good temporary crown placed on the root-canal molar, and have it removed and recemented every 3-6 months while you complete your ortho. It's best to wait for the permanent crown until your teeth are in their final position.

Olga Kharevich, DMD, PhD (in memoriam) · Answer

If the tooth is extremely fragile usually the additional retention like post inside of the canals are added. Once placed inside of the tooth, with adequate core material and composite restoration - it will prevent tooth from breaking. In case when the dentist recommends to place a temporary crown - it can be an issue with bonding the braces and dislocation of the crown.

Will I Have to Wait for my Braces to Come off Before I Can Get a Crown on a Molar?

Answers (4)