In the largest number of instances, the traumatic event that initially compromised and thus lead to the ultimate degeneration of the tooth's nerve tissue is the same event that caused the tooth's need for a dental crown. This type of trauma often includes tooth breakage, fracture or the presence of a large amount of tooth decay, just to name a few.
The assumption is that the tooth's nerve didn't die immediately from the original trauma but instead was debilitated by it (stressed dental pulp syndrome). Then at a later date, either when the crown was placed or when some other traumatic event (or series of events) occurred, the tooth had finally experienced enough insult that the debilitated tooth's nerve tissue could no longer rebound. The last traumatic event possibly did precipitate matters but was not the original insult that set the course of events that lead to the eventual demise of the nerve tissue into play.
You might wonder why your dentist didn't anticipate your tooth's need for root canal treatment and mention it before hand. To their defense, you really can't really expect your dentist to be that all knowing. And, in fact, in many instances even if they do suspect that root canal treatment may be needed, its to your benefit that they be conservative in their judgement.
Dentists can perform tests that can help to evaluate the comparative health of a tooth's nerve tissue. And it's most likely that these were performed (and you simply did not realize it) at that visit when your tooth's need for a dental crown was first evaluated. Unfortunately, the results of these tests are often vague and difficult to interpret. And in those cases where collectively their conclusions are ambiguous, your dentist will most likely refrain from recommending root canal treatment for fear of performing unnecessary work on your tooth.
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