Do You Really Need a Crown? Here’s How to Tell
🦷 “My tooth doesn’t hurt…”
The cracks in this tooth put it at risk of splitting.
Has your dentist told you you have a tooth that needs a crown? 👑 Here’s what really happened to one of our patients who didn’t want a crown, and knew the risk of not getting one.
What’s the Risk?
“I know this tooth might split and need to be extracted in the future. And I know a crown would prevent that. I just don’t want a crown right now.” That’s what our patient told us. And that was logical answer! And not getting a crown proved to be a good decision - for a time.
In fact, our patient never had any issue for three years!
Here’s what actually happened to this patient:
📸 Year 1: Small crack visible. No pain.
📸 Year 2: Crack unchanged. Still no symptoms.
📸 Year 3: Tooth split in two — no longer restorable. Extraction needed. This split happened all at once, in a single chew. Could have been a popcorn kernel 🍿…
📸 The Result: The space where the tooth used to be. A crown would have prevented extraction.
Next step: Dental Implant to replace the tooth
So did the tooth need a crown?
❌ It didn’t NEED a crown right away — it functioned fine for two years. When it broke, we extracted it and replaced with a dental implant.
✅ But was there risk of breaking all along? Absolutely. And when it did fully split, there was pain, it was a dental emergency, and it was more expensive for the patient to deal with than if a crown had been put on originally.
And to be clear, not every cracked tooth ends up split below the gum line. Each tooth has its own risks. But the bottom line is that it’s always the patient’s choice. Dentists should clearly communicate the risks, options, and benefits — and we can make a recommendation if and when you want one. But we would never pressure a patient one way or another.
Have you been told you need a crown? We can help you decide what to do. Give us a call or book a consultation below!
-Dr Brayden Teuscher