A dental post and a dental crown are different. Please don’t mix them up, though they both are appliances used for dental restoration.

What are dental post and dental crown? Are they the same thing? Many patients have no idea about the two tools. Actually, they are used when the root stub of a tooth can be retained for future use after treatment, but the remaining root is weak. Then a dental post will be placed into the root canal to re-inforce the structure providing a more solid support for the crown to be fitted.

Is a dental post the same thing as a dental crown?

No, the two are different, and they go one after another. Simply put, dental post is like the foundation of a house, a key to the soundness of the house, while the crown is like the appearance of the house, functioning to restore the contour and color of the tooth.

 If the root stub is long and steady enough to hold a dental crown, then a dental post is not necessary. Therefore, different cases must be treated with different restoration methods.

How long can a post and crown restored tooth last?

It depends.

If the foundation is laid well, and the patient takes good care of it, like paying attention to the diet, not consuming solid foods, paying regular dental visits, it can last for years. However, lack of aftercare may shorten its service life to one or two years, or even a few months.

Many patients with only root stub left may think this way, since the root stub will be pulled out and replaced by a dental implant sooner or later, why can’t I have it extracted and get a dental implant now? Why should I receive post and crown restoration?

Frankly speaking, professional dentists will always try their best to preserve your natural teeth instead of performing an extraction, even when there’s only a root stub is left. Because once the tooth is extracted, it may need to be replaced by a dental implant which could cost more than 10,000 yuan and takes a long time to integrate with the alveolar bone. Thus, if the root stub is retainable, then it is better to keep it for utilization. After all, it won’t be too late to get a replacement when it doesn’t work any more.