[bertiebear]

Hi Guys.
Im new to this site so please bear with me.
Just a quick question for anyone who can settle an argument between myself and my work mate, both of whom are Dental Nurses and i should hang my head in shame for asking.
Would a dentist actually go ahead and crown a tooth which was been root filled but is now fairly lose?
I say no, work mate says yes!
Many thanks
Bertie! x x

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Depends on the clinical situation and how loose is loose! Under the correct circumstances there's no reason it shouldn't be done

[admin]

I can see where the argument stems from with your dental nurse friends and Pav is right - it depends how loose is loose. IF the tooth is so loose that it will fall out in the next couple of months anyway then a crown may not be the right choice and extraction followed by an implant / denture / bridge may be more suitable. However if it is only sightly loose and is likely to last a few years a crown would act to strengthen and protect than tooth and there would be no reason why your dentist should not crown the tooth.

The fact that the tooth has been root filled implies that the dentist has carried out this procedure to save the tooth so crowning it seems the sensible option.

Hope this clears things up for you Bertie and welcome to the forums

[Dr Kailesh Solanki]

hey this is a interesting question, it can be tackled in many ways,

1:clinically: if the tooth is loose how loose, if the tooth is root treated generally crowning the tooth for protection is the treatment if choice. but if the tooth is so loose that the dentist feels it is not going to last a year is it worth crowning the tooth!

2:emotionally: if the tooth is closer to the front of the mouth in the smile arch, whether the tooth is loose or not it may have discoloured quite badly and the patient may want it crowning for cosmetic reasons even if the prognosis is poor for the tooth long term.

as you can see just two reasons why there are arguments for and against the question. at the end there is no right or wrong as long as the patient is well informed by the dentist of all options available and the patient can then make a well educated decision.

Dr Kailesh Solanki
kissdental
www.kissdental.co.uk