Tag Archives: Crowns

What is a Crown Buildup?

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A crown buildup is essentially a large filling that is used to replace enough missing tooth structure to retain a crown (or cap). Most teeth that require a crown (or cap) are broken down due to a large cavity or fractured cusp. Depending on the amount of missing tooth structure, there are times that there is not enough tooth remaining above the gums to allow a crown to grab hold of. Even though a crown is glued on, there must still be enough tooth structure present to provide a friction fit since the glue is not strong enough to bear the brunt of one’s bite.
Teeth that have undergone root canal treatment usually need crown buildups. This is because by the time the inner surface is removed to provide access to the root canal space and the outer surface is removed to provide space for the porcelain, there is not much tooth structure left to retain a crown.

Broken tooth with a buildup

There are different materials available for crown buildups: composite (tooth-colored filling material), amalgam, and glass ionomer. I prefer the glass ionomer because it leaches fluoride into the surrounding tooth structure. This makes the tooth more resistant to decay. This is an important feature since decay sneaking up under a crown can be its achilles heel. A crown that is placed on a properly constructed crown buildup should give a person decades of service.

Restoring Root Canal Teeth

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Once a root canal has been completed, it is extremely important that the tooth be properly restored. If not, then there would be a good chance that the tooth could be lost permanently. The reason for this is the dental pulp which houses a collection of nerves and blood vessels in the center of the tooth will bathe the inner tooth layer (the dentin) with fluid, allowing the tooth to flex under load. Once the source of the moisture is gone, the tooth becomes very brittle. I always recommend that all chewing teeth have a crown placed soon after a root canal has been completed. I have even had the unfortunate experience of needing to extract a tooth only weeks after root canal treatment due to the tooth fracturing through to the root because it had not been properly restored yet. Some front teeth, if they have adequate remaining tooth structure, can be restored with just a filling.

Crown Over Root Canal Tooth

To place a crown on a back tooth, usually a crown buildup needs to be done. A crown buildup is a core of filling material that is used to replace the tooth structure that was lost in the root canal process and due to decay. This core may need to be retained with pins or a large post that is placed in one of the canals. With a quality, well-timed final restoration covering and protecting a root canal tooth, that tooth should give decades of future service.