Not enough tooth left to attach a crown

by Kathleen
(Marcellus, NY)

Hi
This is my case :

There is not enough tooth left to attach a crown to it. The choice is a root canal and a post insertion to secure the crown or extract the tooth, surgical implant of a titanium and after 6 months, crown attachment to the implant.

My dentist prefers the titanium implant as there is a risk that the root canal/post may not be successful in the long term. This is considerably more costly and a lengthier procedure.

I am leaning toward the root canal/post insertion. Can you please advise me which treatment would be better for me?

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Not enough tooth left to attach a crown

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Implant vs. Post and Crown
by: Sharon B., RDH

Hi Kathleen,

Having a post placed inside of the tooth root could hold a crown at least for a while...depending on how much structure there is to work with. But, your dentist is correct. The dental implant option offers much more of a long-term success than a post and crown would. Structurally the post and crown cannot withstand as much force (chewing/biting) as the implant would on a long term basis. Think of if you had a chair with a broken leg. Would you opt to put a screw into the break, add some wood glue, and then attach the end of the leg back onto it? Compare that to replacing the entire chair leg with a new leg, made of a different material that is in one piece. Structurally it will last longer and take more weight on it.

I hope that helps.

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