It may be possible for your dentist to remove your crown before performing your endodontic treatment. Removing a tooth's dental crown before its root canal therapy is performed, and then recementing it afterward, can be an excellent plan.
Crown removal is not a painful procedure, and it doesn't take long for your dentist to remove it. Your dentist will not even use an anesthetic to remove and add in the permanent crown.
Temporary crown removal is straightforward. The dentist near you will use a soft adhesive to make it easy to remove the crowns. Permanently crowns are, however, challenging to remove. The process may be more complicated than the first procedure.
It is very challenging to remove dental cement with dental crowns. For this, the dentists tend to gently move the crown until the adhesive seal is wholly broken. Although dental cement removal is a painless procedure, it requires a slow evaluation of your oral health conditions.
The crown is gently moved until the adhesive seal is broken. The weak cement releases as the crown is pried and removed from the tooth.
The safest and least traumatic means of removing a cemented crown is to destroy it by cutting a slot and prying it out, thereby avoiding procedures that could harm the underlying tooth.
Infection – patients who have dental crown procedures that have also not previously undergone a root canal, means that their tooth still has roots. If a crown is applied incorrectly or is the wrong size, it can put pressure on the nerve and roots of the tooth, which can lead to infection.
Treatment for an Infection
Treatment for decay or infection below a crown may entail: Removing the existing crown. Addressing the decay by filling or extracting the remainder of the tooth. Creating a new crown to accommodate the filling and what remains of the tooth.
If you get decay under a crown issues may occur that affect your oral health. Issues such as bad breath and sore gums may develop or the decay may extend deeper into the tooth, causing dental infection and may even mean the tooth cannot be saved!
If you are experiencing pain under a crown, it is always best advised to contact your dentist as soon as possible. The cause of the pain may be from something as simple as an adjustment that needs to be made, or it could be a sign of a more severe problem like a fracture or an infection.
The Tooth's Nerve Is Damaged
The nerve tissue within a tooth may become irritated after dental crown treatment if it was not removed. Irritation may come from the placement of a crown, or if the tooth was cracked or had a large cavity, bacteria may have entered the tooth and infected the nerve tissue.
Additionally, X-rays pass directly through porcelain, meaning that when patients receive X-rays on porcelain crowns, dentists can actually see what is occurring underneath the crown and diagnose potential problems before they destroy unnecessary tooth structure and potentially cause root canals.
Tooth sensitivity to temperatures (hot or cold) or sugary foods and drinks. Pain or tenderness in the areas surrounding the crown. Increasing redness at the area of crown placement. A discharge of yellow, green, or clear fluid or pus that appears to be draining or leaking out around or under the crown.
Contrary to popular belief, a cavity can develop beneath a crown. Tooth decay can form at the margins of a crown or even underneath its surface. But because crowns cover so much of a tooth's surface, it can be difficult to spot these cavities without careful examination.
Redness at or around the site of the crown placement. Swelling of the gums or jaw around the area that now has the crown. Tenderness or pain around the crown. Unusual warmth that you only feel in one area of your mouth and is unrelated to any hot food or drink that you may have just had.
However, even after the pulp infection is removed from the inside of the tooth with a root canal and the external structure is restored with a dental crown, there is still a risk of developing another infection. One common cause of a recurring pulp infection is problems with the dental crown.
Oral bacteria are tricky little rascals, and they can make their way underneath a crown, particularly if the person does not have good oral hygiene. When these bacteria get underneath the crown, they begin to convert any sugars that make their way into the crown to acids that eat away at enamel.
If the infection is limited to the abscessed area, you may not need antibiotics. But if the infection has spread to nearby teeth, your jaw or other areas, your dentist will likely prescribe antibiotics to stop it from spreading further.
A faulty crown is usually hard to miss, often causing mild to severe tooth pain, inflammation, and tooth decay. Over time, this can lead to infections and further symptoms. If you have a faulty crown, you may notice: Dental overhangs that are difficult to clean.
Fixing a Cavity Under a Dental Crown
If a cavity is along the margin of a dental crown and does not go very deep into the tooth, it might be able to be fixed with normal dental filling material. In most other cases, the dental crown probably will need to be removed, the cavity filled, and a new crown placed on top.
Dental cement is specifically made to resist bite pressure produced by the teeth and jawbones. This cement is an adhesive material that's highly resistant to decay and can easily blend with the restoration and natural tooth for making repairs.
An infected root canal system may or may not show up on an x-ray. However, an x-ray can help your dentist determine if the infection has spread to the surrounding bones. In some cases, the infection may cause a darkening of the bone or a loss of density, which can be seen on an x-ray.
An odor originating from your crown is usually a sign that there is bacteria growth or an infection related to your crown. This bacteria can spring up due to a failed root canal or a crown that doesn't fit properly whether it is loose, cracked or there is a gap between adjacent teeth.
If the teeth under the crown are discolored or blackened, it can indicate a range of dental problems. It usually means that bacteria have invaded the crown's surface because it is not well sealed or has minor or severe damage that needs to be fixed and repaired as soon as possible.