Question by: Adrienne
I clench my teeth at night. Apparently so hard that I caused irreparable damage to my front tooth (possibly teeth). My dentist tells me I don’t need a crown because it’s a front tooth. But, I’ve also heard that removing the root from a tooth makes it very brittle and can easily break/crumble. This is my front tooth; I’m extremely nervous about doing this correctly. I’m going to lose my dental insurance in a few months and want to do this the right way the first time. I had my first appointment for my root canal today. I’m going back in a couple weeks for them to fill it. The dentist has recommended that I wear a night guard to prevent any more clenching/grinding. I will wear it faithfully, but am still nervous about losing my front teeth. What should I do?
Best Answer:
Answer by Telis
No it’s not
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I did’nt think that a oot canal could be performed on a front tooth.But never the less,i has been my past experiences that root canals are a waste of time because YES the tooth eventually becomes rotten and brittle.Option 1….have the tooth pulled and put a fake one in it’s place.or 2……..Have the root job done and have them place a porcelain veneer over it.GOOD LUCK
I’ve been in the dental field for about ten years now and I can tell you that what you’ve heard about teeth getting brittle after the nerve is removed is exactly right. Every dentist I’ve ever worked for has recommended a crown after a root canal, no matter where the tooth is located in the mouth. If I were you I’d get a second opinion on the crown issue, especially if you’re losing your insurance. Crowns are pretty expensive and like you said you want to do this right the first time and why not let your insurance help you pay for it, after all you’ve been paying on it all this time.
Also you are absolutely right about wearing that night guard faithfully. You don’t want your grinding habit to cause problems with your other teeth.
I wore a dental protection for all teeth, but mainly to protect
the front teeth. With time (I am 69) I lost my back teeth and
now have a top and bottom bridge. My front teeth did wear
despite the protection but never needed nerve treatment
nor jackets. The nerves in my front teeth receded with the
waste, so there is no pain. I am not a dentist, only a victim
similar to you but much older. Although there are no two
cases alike, I only wanted to let you know that my dentist
never even suggested jackets. PS I also was a champion
tooth grinder all the way back as far as I can remember.
I wish you all the best, and you must trust your dentist
or change to another.
Actually, a crown is not necessary for a root canal on a front tooth. Normally a crown is only necessary for molars (your back teeth) as they are used for grinding your food and face great pressures. Because the molars often have multiple roots, a lot of material must be removed from the tooth to do the root canal. This is not true of your incisors (front teeth), as they only have one root, and the entrance to the root need be only a small drill hole.
However, the loss of the root often causes the tooth to turn brown or grey. It is probably in your best interest to get the crown (you can get an absolutely true to life white crown for your front teeth) not only to protect the tooth, but to prevent the discoloration that will ultimately happen.
I actually had a root canal and crown put on a front tooth (it had discolored as it was “killed” by a rugby accident as a child). The crown improved my smile as there was a small chip on the tooth. After the crown – perfect tooth (wish I could say smile!).
BTW, it is a bit of a harrowing experience. As the dentist will make a mold of the tooth, decide on color (with you) for the crown, and then proceed to put a temporary crown on while waiting for the permanent one to be made. This can take a few weeks, and often the temporary crown is not exactly as you would like it. However, this will be on only 2-3 weeks. Oh, and the original tooth will be “trimmed” so that a crown of the same size as the original tooth can be put on.
yes in a root canal a crown is necessary
I can’t believe that your dentist told you that you don’t need a crown!
You absolutly do! After a root canal your tooth becomes brittle. Your tooth is dead now… there is no nerve left.
My suggestion is to get a new dentist.
Your dentist was right about wearing a night guard, but that is for clenching and grinding of your teeth. That is not a solution to a root canaled tooth.
It depends on how much tooth structure remains. In back teeth, a root canal really hollows out the top of the tooth, because the pulp chamber is pretty big. If a front tooth, there is usually a lot of tooth remaining around the perimeter of the tooth. My own rule is to recommend a crown on back teeth and, if the tooth is pretty much sound, to leave a front tooth without a crown. Besides… With a front tooth, when you grind the tooth down for a crown, you leave it weaker at the neck of the tooth – by the gum line – because you have made it thinner. I’ve seen enough front teeth break off INSIDE of crowns that were supposedly done to protect the tooth that I now judge on a tooth-by-tooth basis instead of by any rule book. If your dentist says not to get a crown, I’d go with that. Trust me… If you had to have a post and then a crown, the fee would be around $ 1,000 or more. If he’s recommending against you paying him $ 1,000, you don’t need it.
In your case, with the grinding, I’d rather see you have a night guard to protect all of your teeth than a crown to protect just one.
I think that you should get a crown for the tooth because after a root canal you tooth can brake very easily so do the right thing and get a crown in the tooth specially if it’s the front tooth
Sounds like you know more than your dentist. He is wrong you are right. I would rather invest in a crown now, than to end up loosing the tooth later because of a fracture or breakage. ESPECIALLY IT BEING A FRONT TOOTH!!