Do I need caps after root canal treatment?

As we have discussed earlier also, caps are needed for both front and behind teeth. But both have their own reason for the same. Let's discuss it again below.

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This answer can be divided in 2 section: Front teeth and behind teeth.

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Front teeth: Caps are needed in front teeth because after a root canal treatment tooth discolours. So for AESTHETIC reasons it is necessary we place a cap on the tooth.

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Behind teeth: Caps are needed in behind teeth for functional reasons. God has made our jaw and teeth system in such a way that we need to chew with our behind teeth. So there is a lot of force that the tooth undergoes. So if the behind tooth is not protected after a root canal treatment, then it may crack/fracture. The only option then left is extraction of that tooth.

What are the types of caps available?

The variety of caps can be divided into metal, PFM, Emax, Zirconia. Let's understand each one of them.

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Metal: As the name says, it looks metallic. It is strong and can be placed on behind teeth.

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PFM: The names stands for porcelain-fused to-metal. This is an intermediate variety among all the caps. So this caps has best of both the worlds. The metal coping which is there from inside provides a strong core and mask this unaesthetic core it is coated with ceramic. This is one of the most common caps that is chosen by patients. the disadvantage of this cap is that it involves excessive cutting of the underlying tooth which eventually weakens the foundation. There is a potential high risk that the tooth might get cracked or fractured.

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Emax: This a cap that has the best looks. It has the ability to mimic natural tooth structure. this cap is recommended especially for front tooth.

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Zirconia: To explain this cap in a simple manner, it is “metal that is white in colour”. So this has all the properties that a metal cap has with the added advantage of being white in colour.

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Among all the above mentioned varieties, Emax is the best variety for both front and behind teeth because it is the only cap that can be bonded to the tooth. All the rest of the caps are only glued to the tooth with a cement.