Root Conal question

[Bruinator]

For those of you who have had root canals before, I was wondering if it is possible to have a molar tooth permanently filled instead of having a crown put on it?

 

thx

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2017 by Bruinator

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Depends. They can be filled if there isn't a risk of fracturing.  Crowns are generally used since the tooth has weakened...protecting it against future damage.  This really should be a question for your dentist who knows your history and your teeth.

 

 

[Pork Chopper]

My son is a dentist and I asked him your question.  A crown is the preferred method.  As Jim K stated what's left after a root canal is a very structurally weak tooth.  The very best option is to go with an implant and a crown but that is costly and most insurance won't pay for an implant or will pay very little.   If there isn't much tooth structure left to support placing a crown over it then you could get a post and crown which is cheaper than an implant and is usually paid by insurance at a 50% rate in most cases.

[Gotenks98]

I would first make sure the root canal is even necessary.  I got suckered by a dentist once and ended up getting a root canal that wasn't even needed.

[Bruinator]

20 minutes ago, Pork Chopper said:

My son is a dentist and I asked him your question.  A crown is the preferred method.  As Jim K stated what's left after a root canal is a very structurally weak tooth.  The very best option is to go with an implant and a crown but that is costly and most insurance won't pay for an implant or will pay very little.   If there isn't much tooth structure left to support placing a crown over it then you could get a post and crown which is cheaper than an implant and is usually paid by insurance at a 50% rate in most cases.

Is a non-molar tooth have to be crowned as well?  Thx for asking him.

[Gladiatorus]

Ok, I need to know what you mean by "permanently filled".

 

There are many variables to take into account. What tooth is it? Some have one root, some have two, and some have three roots. You may have a stump rebuilt for a crown, a post and crown or an inlay/onlay. These types of restorations are more durable than any filling although there are no "permanent" dental restorations. Depending on the restoration's material(s), how much your dentist carved your tooth and how he did it (meaning the technique and the quality of his/her job), how you take care of your restoration and your general dental hygiene, a restoration may last up to 35 to 40 years, but a resin filling won't generally last for more than 4 - 5 years. The most durable restorations are definitely made out of metal, but metals in the mouth have been proven to have some nasty effects.

 

 

2 hours ago, Pork Chopper said:

My son is a dentist and I asked him your question.  A crown is the preferred method.  As Jim K stated what's left after a root canal is a very structurally weak tooth.  The very best option is to go with an implant and a crown but that is costly and most insurance won't pay for an implant or will pay very little.   If there isn't much tooth structure left to support placing a crown over it then you could get a post and crown which is cheaper than an implant and is usually paid by insurance at a 50% rate in most cases.

If you are going to have an implant then there's no point in having a root canal because you'll need to have that tooth extracted. And there's no other solution than a crown for an implant.

 

 

If you have any other questions I'll be glad to do my best to answer them. I'm not a dentist but I own a dental laboratory and work actively on as many cases as I can.

 

Hope that helps.

[Bruinator]

7 hours ago, Gladiatorus said:

Ok, I need to know what you mean by "permanently filled".

 

There are many variables to take into account. What tooth is it? Some have one root, some have two, and some have three roots. You may have a stump rebuilt for a crown, a post and crown or an inlay/onlay. These types of restorations are more durable than any filling although there are no "permanent" dental restorations. Depending on the restoration's material(s), how much your dentist carved your tooth and how he did it (meaning the technique and the quality of his/her job), how you take care of your restoration and your general dental hygiene, a restoration may last up to 35 to 40 years, but a resin filling won't generally last for more than 4 - 5 years. The most durable restorations are definitely made out of metal, but metals in the mouth have been proven to have some nasty effects.

 

 

If you are going to have an implant then there's no point in having a root canal because you'll need to have that tooth extracted. And there's no other solution than a crown for an implant.

 

 

If you have any other questions I'll be glad to do my best to answer them. I'm not a dentist but I own a dental laboratory and work actively on as many cases as I can.

 

Hope that helps.

Thx  Gladiatorus and Pork Chopper. I am writing this for my girlfriend and she would like to ask a question or so:

 

From the upper left side of her mouth (the seventh), she was told she needs a root canal, some type of filling and then a crown. From the bottom, she needs a root canal, some type of filling and a crown on the tooth the is the most right of her canine teeth. She also needs some normal fillings as some have fallen out which were previously done.

 

She is from Poland but has moved to the USA within the last 15 months. It is much cheaper to have crowns done in Poland so she prefers to have it done there. I believe she wants to go back there sometime in the spring. She was told, by a student doctor, she would have to go back to the school every 2 to 3 weeks to have a temporary filling replaced each time until she has her crowns done. Is there some other method that can be done instead of having it done this frequently?

 

TIA

[fusi0n]

7 hours ago, Bruinator said:

she would have to go back to the school every 2 to 3 weeks to have a temporary filling replaced each time until she has her crowns done. Is there some other method that can be done instead of having it done this frequently?

 

 

I'm not a dentist. 

 

However, I would find this part to be a pressure to hurry up and get the procedure done.  I had a temporary filling until I had my crown in place after a root canal. I had that filling in for about five months. That was five months of steak eating, wings eating, drunk eating with zero problems. When I went to have the crown put on, the dentist laughed and said he must have done a really good job with the temporary.  Now, all cases will be different. With that said, I don't trust any dentist.  When you find a good one that you can trust, keep them! No matter how expensive. My last dentist appointment was a very traumatic one.  I had to get a tooth pulled and was going to get an implant put on. However, during the TWO HOUR procedure, of him cutting into my gum and pulling and PULLING.. and holding my head down to PULL SOME SOME MORE, I didn't realize it was a ######## wisdom tooth he was pulling. It was very ######## painful. I thought I had all mine removed, but it turns out I only had three removed. And since it was a wisdom tooth, there wasn't a need to replace it.  But, mother of god, it hurt so damn bad. However, if I would have stuck with that dentist the entire time, I would have not been in that situation. I started going to a different one since I worked in a different part of town, that was a lair and put it in the bad situation. 
 

[Gladiatorus]

On 12/30/2017 at 6:45 AM, Bruinator said:

Thx  Gladiatorus and Pork Chopper. I am writing this for my girlfriend and she would like to ask a question or so:

 

From the upper left side of her mouth (the seventh), she was told she needs a root canal, some type of filling and then a crown. From the bottom, she needs a root canal, some type of filling and a crown on the tooth the is the most right of her canine teeth. She also needs some normal fillings as some have fallen out which were previously done.

 

She is from Poland but has moved to the USA within the last 15 months. It is much cheaper to have crowns done in Poland so she prefers to have it done there. I believe she wants to go back there sometime in the spring. She was told, by a student doctor, she would have to go back to the school every 2 to 3 weeks to have a temporary filling replaced each time until she has her crowns done. Is there some other method that can be done instead of having it done this frequently?

 

TIA

Ok. The dentist is the only one that can determine what you need. If you don't feel comfortable with his opinion, go to another dentist and ask for a second or a third one.

 

As for the root canal fillings, they are standard procedure. Every tooth has a cavity where it stores the nerve and blood vessels, the cavity diverts through the root (the root canal) to the apex where the nerve goes out and joins other, bigger nerves. The whole canal needs to be filled and sealed perfectly after the procedure.

 

I don't know how long it regularly takes for a crown to be made in Poland or the USA, but here in Mexico City it usually takes no longer than 5 days, 3 if it's an urgent job (I'm talking lab times here). If your GF needs two crowns, 5-6 days will be more than enough, but the whole treatment could take up to a month (in some cases, even more), it all depends on your GF's mouth health conditions, i.e. Is she a smoker? Does she suffer from periodontal decease? As I said, there are many variables to take into account and only her dentist can assess the problem correctly and determine if she'll need temporary restorations or not (which may or may not need to be replaced).

 

If the dentist is proficient enough, she may have all her fillings done in one session. I've seen a very good friend of mine perform several aesthetic resin fillings (not veneers, just fillings) in very few hours (I was there helping him) with extreme quality.

 

Now, it may be a good idea to search for fees and charges in the USA, Poland and, may be, here in Mexico. Many people come here to the country from the US and Canada to take care of their teeth because it's cheaper than their countries of origin including travel expenses (I can't really imagine a trip from the US to Poland being cheaper than to Mexico). Besides, there are insanely good dentists here.

 

Good luck and please let me know what you'll do, it's interesting!

Edited January 2, 2018 by Gladiatorus
Another typo