1)What is root canal therapy and why is a crown necessary after that?

Ans: When a person has a severe tooth ache or a badly decayed tooth, the nerves in the tooth are infected and inflamed. Sometimes, the infection can spread down the root and infect the bone. Root canal therapy involves removal of the infected nerve and eradication of the bacteria in the root canal. A dental crown is usually necessary after completion of root canal treatment because of substantial loss of tooth structure. The crown is needed to cover the remaining tooth and prevent fracture.

2)I had a tooth root canal treated and crowned 2 years ago. But recently, I had to extract it because of constant pain. My previous dentist guaranteed that my root canal treated tooth would last forever! Why did it fail?

Ans: Success for root canal treatment is not guaranteed. Generally, the success rate for first time treatment is around 90%. For re-treatment cases, it is lower at around 65%. In addition, failures can occur because of leakage under the crown.

3)Will there be pain during root canal therapy?

Ans: Root canal therapy generally is a painless procedure performed under local anesthesia. The dentist should ensure that the patient has profound numbness of the affected teeth before commencing on root canal therapy.