Why do I need a dental crown?

A crown is used to:

• Treat teeth that have broken or decayed so much that your dentist cannot fix them with a filling.
• Cover a tooth that is so severely damaged that most of the top part had to be removed.
• Repair a defective filling.
• Improve how a tooth looks.

Dentists sometimes use crowns after root canal treatment to seal the tooth and prevent it from breaking.

A tooth would require a crown if: 1) It has an existing large filling, and or large cavity that is broken down and the remaining tooth structure is not strong enough to "hold" a new filling. 2) The tooth is broken or fractured and a filling procedure is not possible. 3) If you have a "cracked tooth" syndrome (biting on hard foods hurts and the crack is limited to the crown of the tooth). 4) If you have had a root canal on your posterior teeth (bicuspids and molars). After a root canal procedure the teeth are more prone to fracture and a crown is indicated.

When a tooth is badly broken down as a result of decay, chipping and/or fracture, a crown is often the best way to provide a more secure restoration to preserve the tooth and prevent serious further breakdown which might cause the tooth to be non-restorable. The crown surrounds the remaining tooth structure (and build-up material if necessary) and acts as a splint to preserve weakened portions of the tooth.

Also, a crown is often the restoration of choice after a tooth has had root canal treatment. Although root canal therapy allows the tooth to be saved, a strong restoration is essential to maintain the tooth and prevent fracture.