Crowning a live tooth

Is it normal to crown a live tooth? My dentist put a crown on a molar that didn’t have a root canal. I’ve just never heard of that before.

Nancy G.- Alabama

Nancy,

Yes, it is pretty common to put a dental crown over a tooth without a root canal treatment.  We do that whenever there is a significant risk that the tooth can break. This protects the tooth.

The reason most people associate it with a root canal is we always crown those teeth because they are now at a higher risk to break.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.