Why is a post needed in a root filled tooth?

[Jim 09]

Hi

I have a root filled tooth that was root filled about five weeks ago in the states when I was on holiday there and I have had no problems with the tooth over the last few weeks.

My dentist over here tells me that I need to have the tooth capped but he says that the tooth will also need a post and core. I wish to know what is a tooth post exactly and what is the point of having a post and core on a root filled tooth?

Is it possible to have a tooth cap made for my tooth without a post? If I don't have a post made for my tooth, could it cause cause any problems in future with this tooth?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

A crown needs to have a core for good retention. There are cases especially with root filled teeth where there is very little tooth tissue left to actually provide a retentive core for the tooth.

In these cases, some of the root filling material is removed from the root canal and a post (hook) is placed inside the root canal space. The post then provides retention for the core and indirectly for the crown.

If a core needs a post for retention but a post is not provided, the core may become loose and if that happens the crown will come off the tooth.