Do I Need A New Crown After a Root Canal?

If a tooth with a crown on it needs a root canal, it doesn't always need a new crown put on it. There are several reasons to replace a crown, but needing a root canal on a tooth is not one of them. If a tooth that has a functional crown (margins are good, no recurrent decay, good occlusion) needs are root canal, many times it can be done by going right through the existing crown. There is always the danger of the crown fracturing, depending on the material it is made of, so the dentist will usually caution you that a fracture can occur that will lead to the need for a new crown.

Why Do I Need A Crown After a Root Canal??

Many patients wonder why they need a crown on a tooth after a root canal. The need for a crown on a tooth after a root canal is mandated for several reasons. The number one reason for a crown after a root canal is the tooth can become brittle and fracture. By covering the remaining tooth structure after a root canal, the dentist is protecting this 'brittle' tooth from fracturing under the stresses of chewing.

Can't understand dental jargon?? You may find this interesting...

I was online the other day looking up specific terms that I found difficult to understand on my dental bill. Anyone else feel like it's in a different language? Well, I found some stuff I thought I would share.

I found this article at http://www.simplestepsdental.com/:

Many People May Not Understand Dental Information September 27, 2007
by Nancy VolkersInteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Many people may have problems understanding written information about their oral health, says a study. Researchers surveyed 101 people visiting the dentist in North Carolina.

The researchers asked people to read 30 words out loud. All of the words were related to oral health or dentistry. Other research has shown that if a person has problems pronouncing words about a certain subject, then he or she is also likely to have problems with printed materials about the same subject. These people also may have trouble understanding what their dentists or dental hygienists tell them.

About one-third of the people scored low enough on the test to have low health literacy. Most people could pronounce at least 20 of the 30 words. Only 7% pronounced them all correctly.

Some people were more likely to have lower scores:

• 
  People who had not visited a dentist in the past year, who were nearly four times as likely to score low
• People who already had incorrect knowledge about periodontal disease and/or preventing tooth decay, who were three times as likely to score low
• People who said their oral health was fair or poor, who were nearly three times as likely to score low

There were no differences in oral health literacy by race, age or gender. Scoring wasn’t different according to the type of dental insurance a person had (private, public or none).

Very little research has been done in the area of dental health literacy. But studies have shown that in general people who can better understand written health information are healthier. They also get better faster when they are sick.

The researchers say that education and counseling could help.
The study is published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

After reading this, I went on to Savon's website to email for help understanding my bill and I found that they offer their own dental dictionary or "tooth-o-pedia" if you will. I was actually able to pretty much answer my own questions. It's a great tool and you don't even have to be a member to use it! Here's the link if you want to check it out (or, after reading that article, you just want to get a bit more educated!! Lol.) :)

Suffering From Restless Leg Syndrome?

It's a little bit off topic.....nothing to do with dental but I thought I'd throw this out there for discussion since I'm having such a problem with it lately!
It seems the more exercise I get, the worse the attack of restless legs, even though some professionals suggest exercise as a treatment. It's also intermittent, some days ( or nights) seem worse than others and sometimes I don't have it at all, so it's impossible to predict the onset of an attack and it seems to creep up when you least expect it. There is a new drug available for it, but it comes with a myriad of side effects, so it isn't an option, at least not for me. Is there anyone out there who has had other limbs affected by this, such as the arms? Does anyone know of a homeopathic or alternative type of treatment? It seems I'm affected more as I get older.

Choosing the right mouth wash?

According to an article I read recently, the Academy of General Dentistry has concluded that different kinds of mouth wash could be harmful to you and may cause whatever you're attempting to treat to get worse. It's an interesting article and it's got me questioning MY mouthwash. I've provided a link incase you would like to read the full article.

Union workers and retirees losing dental benefits??!!!

You should really look into this. Savon is a GREAT alternative (because we all know that individual dental insurance is hard to find, and completely unaffordable when you do!). Everyone qualifies, coverage is instant, and it saves you WAY more than your insurance would, or at least I have found. It's really worth considering...

Laser Printers a Health Hazard?

The January 2008 Savon newsletter talks about the hazards of having a laser printer in your home or office and being around it constantly. Is this for real and has anyone else ever heard of this study?

Welcome!

Welcome to Savon Dental Plan's "Dental Talk." We would like to present this forum to provide you the opportunity to educate yourself and help others on the way. While we understand that not everyone will agree with all of the opinions expressed here, we ask that you respect others.