{"id":69,"date":"2007-06-25T13:17:27","date_gmt":"2007-06-25T20:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mynewsmile.com\/blog\/?p=69"},"modified":"2007-06-25T13:17:27","modified_gmt":"2007-06-25T20:17:27","slug":"a-root-canal-on-a-porcelain-veneer-tooth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/a-root-canal-on-a-porcelain-veneer-tooth\/","title":{"rendered":"A root canal on a porcelain veneer tooth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello,
\nIf porcelain veneers<\/a> are put on and then later it is discovered that the person needs a root canal on one of the teeth that is covered by the porcelain, is it very difficult to get to the tooth under the porcelain to do the root canal?
\n– Kathy in Texas<\/p>\n

Kathy,
\nIt’s fairly easy to have a root canal treatment<\/a> on a tooth that already has a porcelain veneer. For a front tooth, the opening to the canal is made through the back of the tooth and doesn’t affect the veneer at all.<\/p>\n

But I want to caution you about this. Teeth with root canal treatments tend to turn dark afterwards, sometimes very dark, and this will show through most porcelain veneers. But there is a way to prevent that from happening, and what you want to do is find out if your dentist knows that technique. Pay attention carefully, and approach this issue exactly the way I explain. Ask your dentist if the tooth turning dark can be prevented and then ask how it is done. You are testing your dentist, so don’t give away the answer. If your dentist responds that he or she will just make sure any gutta percha and other root canal filling materials are cleaned out of the inside of the crown of the tooth, then you can breathe a sigh of relief because he or she understands. If your dentist doesn’t know that, don’t try to teach him or her. I don’t have time in this answer to fully explain why. But it is a very very bad idea to research stuff on the Internet and then try to teach your dentist. If your dentist has not cared enough about this issue to attend enough continuing education to learn it, then there are many other things that he or she doesn’t know that will give you trouble, and there are several other substantial reasons why I have seen so many patients who have tried to teach their dentists and who have met disaster.<\/p>\n

Your dentist may insist on doing a dental crown<\/a> in order to keep it from breaking, but if you don’t have an expert cosmetic dentist, the dentist will have a great deal of difficulty getting the crown to match your existing veneers. And a crown on a front tooth (an incisor or canine) will not help keep the tooth from breaking but will weaken the neck of the tooth. A dental post<\/a>, on the other hand, will strengthen the tooth, and you may want to check out that link.
\n– Dr. Hall<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
\nWe thank our advertisers who help fund this site. Our cosmetic dentist referral pages<\/a> list cosmetic dentists we recommend.
\n<\/font>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n