Whats the difference between a root canal and a crown?

Question

I'm just curious what are differences and why would you get a crown over a root canal or a root canal over a crown? Which is better? Thank-you!

Answer 1

Root Canal Treatment is done when the cavity is already extensive and that it had already reach the pulp(the nerve supply of the tooth),meaning placing a filling would not be possible.You could actually see this on the xray(how extensive the cavity.Placing a filling over an extensive cavity and infected pulp would just trigger pain and infection.Another reason of doing the root canal treatment is because of infection(either caused by trauma,extensive cavity,et.al).In Root Canal Treatment,we make the tooth nonvital(meaning no sensation at all),usually take 4 sessions of coming back to the dentist although there is a one sittng RCT. Now, once the tooth has been root canalled,the tooth becomes brittle,so a crown is advised to you by the dentist(It'll be your option if you decide to go for a crown after RCT or just fill it up with a filling material,either toothcolored restoration or amalgam filling,et.al)Sometimes, a post is required before placing crown on the root canal treated tooth to strenghten it.

Crowns are done on tooth with extensive cavity but no infection yet on the pulp.We grind the tooth,make it smaller,take an impression and after few days placed a permanent crown on it.There are some cases that would require the said tooth to have it rootcanaled,some cases will require no root canal at all.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Whats the difference between a root canal and a crown?
I'm just curious what are differences and why would you get a crown over a root canal or a root canal over a crown? Which is better? Thank-you!

Answer 3

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 4

A root canal is normally preformed on a dead or dying tooth...The people above have explained the procedure but not why you do one. A crown is a cap(hat) for your tooth. It is used to protect a tooth from breaking down (tooth may still be alive). Often when you get a root canal done...you need a crown. If large portions of your tooth are decayed (or you have cracks in a tooth) a crown would help protect it after the decay has been removed. These procedures are used for completely different reasons so neither is better than the other

Answer 5

A root canal is a procedure where a filling is put into the root of the tooth. You would want to do this in a tooth that is injured or abcessed.
A crown is a replacement top of the tooth. It covers the root.
Which is better? That really depends on what you need more.

Answer 6

Wiki Root Canal

Answer 7

im not sure about "crown" so i looked it up over wikipedia. i had a root canal years ago. my dentist had done the therapy and inserted a crown to replace the tooth. here it is:

ROOT CANAL THERAPY
To cure the infection and save the tooth, it is necessary for the dentist to drill into the pulp chamber, and remove the infected pulp by scraping it out of the root canals. Once that is done, the dentist fills the cavity with an inert material and seals up the opening. If enough of the tooth has been damaged, or removed as a result of the treatment, a crown may be required.

CROWN
Crown refers to the restoration of a tooth or teeth using materials that are fabricated by indirect methods and that are then permanently cemented into patients' mouths by a dentist

For more info, visit wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_%28dentistry%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root-canal_therapy

Answer 8

A root canal requires a dentist to drill your tooth to remove infected pulp in the roots. They put a filling in whats left of the tooth, thus needing a crown to cover the tooth.

Answer 9

A root canal is simply a deeper drilling and filling. Which is better? Depends on what is wrong with the tooth. Most dentists are trustworthy, if you were referred to your dentist and did not just pick your dentist out of thin air, let yourself be guided by them----one key thing is to ask, "Will you keep my X-Rays on file and transfer them to another dentist if I move? There is a fairly simple protocol for when and why a dentist will advocate for the more/less invasive/expensive procedure, and the X-rays are the key, and dentists are required to keep your X-Rays on file, so obviously the answer to that question, "will you keep them on file" will be yes.

Never pick a dentist's name out of a hat. Always get a recommendation from someone whose opinion you respect

Answer 10

Well, in the former, they peel back the old gums and scrape as deep as they can to get the plaque out of there and in the latter, they lob off the top half of your tooth, leaving the root intact and replace with a cap made of gold alloy or ceramic. Two different proceedures. The crown is usually called for when a sizeable portion of the tooth became damaged.