Why do root canal-treated teeth require a crown?

A root canal treatment involves drilling the tooth to remove the decayed portion of the tooth and to access the canals of the root where the infected canals and nerves are removed and sealed.

Oftentimes, your dentist directs you to place a crown after performing a root canal procedure.

The main reason being that the tooth is hollowed out and hence is weakened after the procedure. In order to bear the stress and pressure of the food that we chew and the load of the opposing tooth, a crown is placed.

A crown also ensures that the complete functionality of the tooth is retained by gaining proper occlusal contact during chewing.

A root canal-treated tooth that is devoid of a crown is more susceptible to fracture or breakage due to overload by chewing forces which ultimately forces the dentist to extract the tooth as it gets fractured beyond repair.

Certain cases where a crown is not compulsory is when:

-It involves a front tooth where excessive load is not anticipated as the anterior teeth mainly have only tearing function as opposed to the crushing function of posterior teeth.

-The tooth structure is minimally damaged and the opposing tooth is healthy.

-The dental hygiene maintenance is excellent and the opposing tooth does not occlude on chewing.

-The opposing tooth requires treatment hampering the occlusion in the future.