What's the Difference? Root Canal/Crown??

Question

Does any one have any idea what the difference between the two of these are? My dentist mentioned one or the other would have to be done...is it painful (either)?

Answer 1

A root canal is a procedure done when the nerve and blood supply of the tooth is infected. Depending on the number of roots the tooth has, there will be a canal running down each root and that is where the nerve and blood supply runs through. The dentist will numb you up, and drill a hole through the top of the tooth, deep enough to access the pulp and blood supply, and locate the canal(s) of the roots. The dentist will take take special instruments to clean out the inside of the roots (not remove the roots, just the nerves), clean it out very well, and then put a filling in the canals to plug up the space. If there is decay in the tooth itself, it will get cleaned out and a filling placed there too. The root canal can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, depending on the anatomy/structure of your tooth and roots.

A crown is almost a given after the root canal. We STRONGLY recommend them because now that your tooth is literally dead, there are no more nutrients running through that tooth that would keep it healthy. Your tooth is now weak and prone to fractures. A crown is basically a cap. Your dentist will grind down your tooth to a "stump", to the proper dimensions, take an impression of that stump, and then the lab will create a new tooth that will be permanently cemented on that stump. It will look just like your other teeth.

Neither one of these procedures should be painful for you. You might have a little discomfort just because so much work has been done on that tooth, but it is nothing that Ibuprofen cannot fix.

Good luck!

Answer 2

If I remember this correct. The Root Canal is done to clean the tooth of Rot and Remove some of the Nerve endings so you not feel pain. The tooth is then ground into a shape for the Crown to be placed over it. It a False Tooth. It will usually have a small metal rod that go down into the tooth where the Dentist made the Canal/Hole for support and is Glued to hold it in place. Then it just like a real tooth that you Brush and Floss.

Answer 3

The crown is the cap that they put on your tooth after a root canal. Sometimes they cap your teeth without a canal if you have bad cavity damage. The root canal drills out the root of the tooth and fills the hole so the tooth remains anchored. The cap is then placed on top of the hole.

If you only get a cap and had a history of cavities, you will probably be back in short order to have a root canal on the same tooth.

Answer 4

I dont imagine it would be one or the other. Its both. If you have a root canal, a couple of weeks later you need a crown. Its not painful. My 19 yr old son had it done and said its easier than having a cavity filled. A root canal is drilling through the tooth to get rid of the roots,, then they will crown it. Which in laymans terms, is nothing more than filling the tooth up with white filling.
Its an expensive procedure. But you need to get rid of the roots if they are dead or eventually they will turn you teeth grayish/ black. YUCK.

Answer 5

A root canal is where the drill out all the pulp in a tooth to the root and fill with a resin - in a sense killing the tooth to prevent the problem form getting worse. I am not sure what a crown in used for.

Answer 6

a root canal is when the dentist drills a hole in that tooth to clean out the cavity and kill the nerves to that tooth which also cuts off that bloodsupply eventually later on during the years you are at high risk to loose that tooth due to it breaking off from having no blood supply.a crown is i'm not really sure it may be a cap the covers your tooth i'm not sure though.

Answer 7

I can tell you that you will see a difference in the price if you sign up for a dental discount program.
Here is a good one.
http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40419081