Rootcanal Question

[paralegallsj]

I have recently had my treatment for two rootcanals but I have not had the crowns put on. I have heard one thing from my general dentist- to wait at first then to go ahead and have the corwns put on. Then my orthodontist says- to wait to have the crowns put on until after treatment(30 months).

My dilemna is I don't want to pay for the crowns if they are not necessary at this given time on top of having to pay for my braces.


Please respond

Thanks

paralegallsj@hotmail.com

[missing_tooth]

I read you loud and clear. I had two dentists that wanted to do some crowns before braces. My ortho suggested not to have that done because my bite will be changing over the next few years and to wait until ortho treatment is completed. My dentist wasn't thrilled about it but he did a build up and the two days later I was braced with a molar band to hold the particular tooth together until debanding.

Anyway, that was the road that I decided to take. I figure if I'm paying as much as I am for orthodontics I want the best bite possible. In any event, talk to your ortho. Decisions decisions decisions...

- Missing Tooth -

[Chris]

My concern if I were you, would be that the "build up" would hold under the pressure of orthodontia. Was that issue ever brought up by either the dentist or the ortho?

[Granola]

paralegallsj, I was recently faced with a similar decision pre-braces when I had a tooth that was cracking in half, and had to decide whether or not to crown it at the time. There was a big question at the time about whether or not my tooth was cracked down into the root area, and whether or not it could be saved. Actually that is still a question mark.

The endodontist who treated me saw strongly recommended that I have the crown permanently placed (after a few weeks of healing time) instead of of a temporary, to provide the best possible chance of saving that tooth. He was concerned that a temporary had a chance of not being properly seated, creating an opportunity for further risk of additional fracturing and decay.

I elected to have my crown permanently seated, because for me, the thought of losing that tooth (my last molar on the bottom) was not acceptable, cost be damned. For me, the trauma of having to lose that tooth, and pay for an implant or bridge (and deal with one of those), wasn't a gamble I was willing to accept at the time. If I hadn't had all kinds of issues with that tooth including an abscess around the roots, I probably would have just had my temporary crown seated until I was done with braces.

This was just my situation, but I'm sharing it in case it is helpful. I have two other crowns that need to be replaced at some point, and I'll wait until long after braces on those.

I think if your root canal treated teeth are very stable, you might do fine, but I would talk with your dentists more before deciding.

[paralegallsj]

I read you loud and clear. I had two dentists that wanted to do some crowns before braces. My ortho suggested not to have that done because my bite will be changing over the next few years and to wait until ortho treatment is completed. My dentist wasn't thrilled about it but he did a build up and the two days later I was braced with a molar band to hold the particular tooth together until debanding.

Anyway, that was the road that I decided to take. I figure if I'm paying as much as I am for orthodontics I want the best bite possible. In any event, talk to your ortho. Decisions decisions decisions...

- Missing Tooth -

Thank you for sharing. I have had so many opinions and I am just not sure which way to go.....

[paralegallsj]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Its nice to hear what I am not alone. I am just enlisting opinions of others in similar situations.

Thanks again. I will follow up when I decide what I am going to do.




"Paralegalls"

[KittyW]

I was in a similar dilemma pre-braces. Had just had (another) root canal on a tooth that was already crowned. The endodontist drilled thru the crown to do the root canal and did the post build up. It left a "crater" on the tooth surface, that while in reality wasn't very large, FELT huge to me. It was the rear most molar. I also have a 20-year-old bridge on the opposite upper side of my mouth that needed to be replaced, but was still functional. I wanted to replace the crown immediately, pre-braces. Both my ortho and dentist advised against it due to the cost. Said I'd more than likely end up having to replace them AGAIN after the braces came off due to tooth movement from the braces. I opted to wait.

Now that my braces are off, I plan to get all of my restorative dental work completed. In the case of a fractured tooth and the possibility of losing it, I would DEFINITELY have had a crown done (like Granola did). Having lost a tooth to a failed root canal (now has a bridge), I can tell you that bridges are VERY expensive.

My advice would be to hold off on the crown unless it will compromise the integrity of the tooth in question. Like my ortho and dentist said, why would you want to pay twice for the crown work? Paying for a root canal is bad enough!!!

[Chris]

[quote] The endodontist who treated me saw strongly recommended that I have the crown permanently placed (after a few weeks of healing time) instead of of a temporary, to provide the best possible chance of saving that tooth. He was concerned that a temporary had a chance of not being properly seated, creating an opportunity for further risk of additional fracturing and decay.[quote]

As someone who ended up losing a root canaled tooth because of an improperly sealed crown, I can relate to the possibility of what your ortho told you. Bridges and Implants are more expensive. Do what you can to save the tooth even if it means redoing the crown again after braces. Perhaps it may not need to be replaced. Just my thoughts.