Root canal treatment after crowning

In some cases, a tooth may require a very extensive preparation in order to be able to place a crown aesthetically and functionally suitable on the tooth. The tooth is still alive and not root-treated. Due to the many erosions of hard tooth substance, the pulp is almost reached or already exposed.

Now it is no longer possible to simply place the crown of the tooth on the tooth, as the risk is too high that it will have to be removed again only a short time later, as bacteria could penetrate the pulp too easily and cause an inflammation. As a precaution, the pulp is removed to avoid this complication. This method in the context of the preceding dental treatment should of course be avoided and only used if the circumstances do not allow otherwise.

Before this step, it is also possible to perform a capping and give the tooth the chance to form tertiary dentine. This is not always successful. If you already have a crown that has been definitely fixed, an inflammation can develop deep inside the tooth.

If you want to perform a root canal treatment in such a case, there is either the possibility of drilling into the crown and trying to find and treat the canals through it. However, this is not very easy as it is difficult to locate the canals and an optimal filling cannot be guaranteed.The resulting hole is then closed again with a filling. Alternatively, one can try to remove the crown before to preserve it.

However, because of the cementing process, it sits very firmly on the tooth and cannot be easily removed again. The third option is to remove it by drilling it out to have unrestricted access to the tooth. However, the crown of the tooth would be lost and would have to be replaced. Which method is used should be discussed with the dentist in charge of the treatment, as he can assess the individual situation and find out the best option.