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Once a tooth has had a root canal completed, it needs to be restored as soon as possible. This is particularly important in posterior (back) teeth, which is where you do all the hard chewing. The tooth has had a loss of lots of tooth structure, and is very susceptible to fracture at any time. When the tooth fractures, chances are very good that the fracture will occur in such a way that the tooth cannot then be restored, and it requires extraction. If you aren't able to have a crown placed as soon as possible, the alternatives are not to chew on the tooth at all (pretty difficult) or to have an amalgam restoration or temporary crown placed as a long term temporary that covers all the cusps of the tooth. But, either way, it is extremely important to cover the tooth as quickly as possible to avoid loss. Thanks for asking Baylor. Good luck.
Chuck Wakefield, DDS
Associate Professor, Director
Advanced Education in General Dentistry
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