Root Canal - How long can I safely wait before getting my crown?!
Question:
Root Canal - How long can I safely wait before getting my crown?
I had a root canal on Friday and it just so happens that I've maxed out my insurance for this year. I paid about $510 out of pocket for the root canal and the crown is expected to be at least another $600. I would *like* to wait until Jan 08 to get the crown, because it will be covered 80% by my insurance when I get my new maximum.
My dentist advised against this as will put me at about 6 months with no crown and this leaves me open for breakage/damage and therefore possible extraction of the tooth, but said it was my call.
Can I wait, how common is breakage? I'm sure this depends on the remaining tooth structure, but I'd be extra careful. I'd really kick myself in the pants if something happened to my tooth, but on the other hand $600 is a lot of money and if I could just wait until January...
Answers:
Depends on how much tooth structure you have left and what tooth it is. It is very common to wait 6 months but no more than 1 year. The longer the tooth goes the more brittle it will become due to the fact that it is now dead and if it breaks it often breaks down the root and then has to be extracted (money wasted). However, if you had very little tooth left and it is just 1 big filling now he might be afraid it will break if you wait. If you choose to wait just be very careful and try to bite/chew on the other side (no hard/crunchy stuff/extremely sticky stuff). Sometimes you can get a silver (stainless steel) crown for cheaper and it is just as sturdy (if it is in the back of your mouth).