What are options (aside from crowns) for an incisor recieving a root canal?

Could a veneer suffice? or does it have to be a full crown?

What are options (aside from crowns) for an incisor recieving a root canal?
It really depends on how much tooth structure remains after removing all decay and finishing the root canal. teeth become very brittle after root canal, and it is standard of care in the USA to have crowns on back teeth after root canals, front teeth are little bit different, since they are subject to less forces when chewing food, a filling can be sufficient to restore them after a root canal, provided the tooth is solid with a lot of tooth structure remaining.


Veneers will not reinforce the tooth, and are only indicated to correct discoloration or shape of the tooth. crowns do reinforce tooth structure if a lot of destruction happened prior to root canals, and can be the only option for treatment in this case,
Reply:Assuming that most of the tooth is intact i.e it is not fractured, an incisor does not need to have a crown after a root canal. If your tooth is very grey due to some kind of trauma, a veneer or internal bleaching might work.
Reply:You should have the tooth crowned root canaled teeth become very dry/brittle susceptible to fracturing, eekkk you don't want that on a front tooth! Root canaled teeth can also change color, if you've ever seen someone with a brown front tooth it's because they were probably hit and the nerve inside died.


I wouldn't put a veneer on a root canaled tooth, for the above reasons. I feel it would only raise your changes of the tooth fracturing. Veneers only cover the facial surface of the tooth. They almost look like a fake finger nail of the tooth. You also have to prep the tooth down a mm or two for retention, this will weaken an already brittle tooth.


Go with the full crown, it most expensive but you get what you pay for. If it were my tooth I would crown it.