Root canal questions

[muraiken]

1) I had a old crown replaced with some treatment for decay. After the temporary crown was put on, I started having pain and ended up having a root canal. So the impression for the new crown was taken before the root canal. Will the root canal mean that the new crown that was ordered will not fit now and a new impression has to be taken?

2) Couldn' t the general dentist have prevented the root canal? Can't they see where the nerves are from the x-ray? Is there a chance that the root canal was caused by too aggressive drilling?

 

[DanPotter]

I have a similar issue. My general dentist's hygienist discovered a deep cavity in a lower, lateral incisor (something the dentist himself should have noticed in his initial exam of my teeth). The cavity wasn't readily noticeable, I guess, because it was between two teeth.

Anyway, he filled the cavity a few weeks ago and then the tooth started becoming sensitive to pressure/touch. Had a root canal done on it yesterday and the endodontist suspected the nerve was dead because the tooth didn't respond to cold.

So I'm thinking...Why the heck didn't my general dentist figure that out before charging me $500 to fill that cavity (and an additional minor cavity in the adjacent cuspid)?

 

[mitzim440]

I think there will be no need to put crown on the root canals.

 

[jpalmer]

Dentists don't usually cause the need for abscessed teeth needing root canals. Sometimes when working on teeth, issues get exposed that were not before detectable.

Abscesses occur because of infections, infections are acute, with pain, or chronic without paint. Chronic infections can become acute without warning or notice or not ever.

You do not have to crown teeth with root canals, if you want to expose the now dead tooth that will become brittle to breaking more easily just leave it. If you want to protect the investment from the root canal then crown it.

But, if you are not going to crown the tooth, you should save the money and just get it extracted now as that is what will eventually happen and you will have saved the money for the root canal. Just my opinion, no one has a crystal ball, playing the odds.