Why is there a whole in my temporary crown?

Question

Hi doctor,

My upper incisor has a fracture. So, I had a temporary crown, and then a couple of weeks later I had a root canal completed. And today, I had my crown lengthening done to prepare for the permanent crown. My dentist mentioned to me that I would feel a hole in the back of my tooth, which I do. And that it would even heal over. But, what does that mean? And how long does it take? I am worried about food particles, etc., getting in there and infecting the area. I was given mouth rinse, T3, and Ibuprofen 600 mg. I would like to know if this is all normal. Should I be worried about infection of the hole?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The whole procedure you described is pretty standard and usually expected. During root canal treatment, till it is completed a temporary filling is placed in the hole. This hole on the back of the tooth is where the root canal treatment is done. However, normally before the crown cutting for a permanent cap, it is filled with permanent cement. The hole does not heal by itself. A filling is placed in it. If your root canal is completed, then there is nothing to worry about infection. If your root canal is not completed, then the infection will get cleared out of it. The food particles getting stuck do not cause infection.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.