Video: Root canal treatment complications - Coronal leakage.

Coronal leakage - Why the type of dental restoration placed after root canal treatment is so important.

This video explains a root canal treatment complication that dentists term "coronal leakage."

What is coronal leakage?

In short, coronal leakage refers to a phenomenon where bacteria and other contaminates find a way to seep past a dental restoration and on inside a tooth. This recontamination of the tooth's interior can result in the failure of the tooth's root canal treatment. (Our video What's the purpose of root canal treatment? explains why.)

A quality dental restoration placed after root canal treatment helps to insure its success.

After viewing this video, you'll understand why the long-term success of root canal therapy depends on more than just the expertise with which the tooth's work was performed. It's also dependent upon the seal that's created by the dental restoration that's placed after the root canal procedure has been completed.


Related videos : Root canal treatment: The procedure.

FYI: The restoration that's placed needs to be one that can create a substantial barrier to any contaminates trying to re-enter the tooth. It also needs to be a durable enough that it can be expected to maintain this seal over the long-haul.

In regards to preventing coronal leakage, dental crowns have a reputation for creating a lasting seal. Dental fillings can too in some instances. You'll simply have to rely on your dentist's judgment about what type of restoration is best for your situation.

FYI: You'll also need to quiz your dentist about the time frame in which your tooth's restoration should be placed. Immediately upon completing root canal treatment your dentist will likely have just placed a temporary filling. Over time this restoration, and its seal, will deteriorate. Your mission should be to have it replaced with a permanent restoration (filling or crown) before the complication of coronal leakage becomes a factor.

Topic Root Canal Treatment - Videos & Pages index. »

Video Transcription:

Title: Coronal Leakage - A root canal treatment complication and how the right type of dental restoration helps to prevent it.

Two major tasks accomplished during root canal treatment are cleansing the "nerve" space that lies inside the tooth. And then, filling in and sealing off this cleansed space so to make it difficult for debris and bacteria to re-enter and re-colonize this area.

Beyond this first seal that's created during the root canal process, there's yet a second seal that plays an important role in the long-term success of a tooth's treatment. That's the seal created by the dental restoration that's placed that both restores the tooth to its original shape and fills in the access cavity through which the dentist performed their work.

The need for this seal is as follows: A person's mouth contains bacteria and assorted debris. And if these items are successful in seeping past the dental restoration that's been placed in the tooth's access cavity, the likely result will be the recontamination of the tooth's root canal system and, ultimately, the failure of the tooth's root canal treatment.

Dentist use the term "coronal leakage" when referring to this phenomenon. And after completing a tooth's therapy, they must make a determination about what type of restoration seems best suited for preventing it, and the time frame during which this restoration should ideally be placed.

In those cases where it's just a matter of filling in a small, conservative access cavity, a regular dental filling may suffice.

However, in those situations where treatment has been performed for a tooth that already has a sizable filling, or a significant amount of decay, a filling may not be the best choice. Comparatively large fillings are more likely to fail over the long-term and they don't have the ability to protect a tooth as fully as some other types of dental restorations. Clearly, if a tooth or its restoration experiences problems, the likelihood of the tooth experiencing coronal leakage increases.

So, for these situations where the needed restoration must replace a substantial amount of missing tooth structure, a dental crown is typically the best choice. This is especially true for teeth (like molars) that must withstand heavy chewing forces.

Dental crowns provide excellent protection for teeth. And the nature of their design creates a substantial barrier to coronal leakage. Additionally, they are typically long-lasting restorations that can be expected to maintain their integrity, including their seal, over the long-haul.