Veneers and Root Canal

Veneers and root canal are both common treatments, but they are unlikely to be used together on the same teeth. However, improperly placed veneers can make root canal therapy necessary over time. Here is a look at why these treatments are usually used separately and how one can lead to the other.

Root canal therapy is often finished with placement of a crown on the treated tooth. This serves multiple purposes, including aesthetic preservation, protection from breakage and blockage of bacteria from entering the tooth. Like veneers, crowns are tooth colored and stain resistant. However, unlike veneers, crowns cover the entire tooth rather than just the front. If a crown is ever damaged, it will be replaced with another crown and not with a veneer.

Placement of veneers requires removing some enamel and seating the veneers properly. If this process is incorrectly performed, the nerves of treated teeth could stay exposed and vulnerable to infection. This could result in the need for root canal.

Infected teeth can appear unsightly, but the internal location of the problem prevents purely cosmetic options, such as veneers, from being solutions. When infections are absent in unsightly teeth, allowing for selection of veneers, our Los Angeles dental veneer dentist will place the veneers properly so that root canal is unlikely to become necessary later.