After my dentist replaced my 15-year-old crown over a root canal tooth, the crown will not stay on. My dentist has reattached the crown four times since March. That’s like once a month. Why did the old crown stay on, but the new one will not stay in place? If this becomes a problem, will my dentist need to extract the tooth and place a dental implant? Thank you. Sienna
Sienna,
Thank you for your question.
A crown can continually detach if it doesn’t have enough tooth structure to help it stay in place. But your dentist—or another dentist—can take steps to keep it in place.
Securing a dental crown that keeps coming off
If your dental crown keeps coming off, it is probably due to stress on the tooth as you bite, tear, chew, or grind—depending on the tooth position. If the problem is due to a lack of tooth structure left, your dentist can take these steps:
- Remove some of the root canal filler material
- Cement a flexible fiberglass post about 2/3 deep into the tooth
- Fill in the tooth with bonding
The process bonds the tooth into the canal and builds up a core material around your tooth. The dentist will shape the bonding to look like a natural tooth after preparing it for root canal treatment.
Afterward, your tooth will hold the crown easily. You can suggest this process to your dentist. If your dentist is hesitant about treating your tooth, we suggest scheduling a consultation with an advanced cosmetic dentist.
Saving your tooth is the priority over a dental implant.
Saving your tooth is the priority. Although a dental implant is almost effective as a natural tooth, preserving your natural tooth is the priority. If any dentist recommends tooth extraction and a dental implant, it should be after an attempt to save your tooth with a post.
Steven Brooksher, DDS of Baton Rouge, sponsors this post. Dr. Brooker is a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
