Do I Need a Crown After Root Canal Treatment? Natural-Looking Zirconia Crowns and Prices at a Well-Known Dental Clinic

Hello,

This is Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic, located right across from the Samsung Main Building at Exit 7 of City Hall Station in Seoul.

It is also easy to reach from Chungjeongno, Seoul Station, Yongsan, Euljiro, Myeongdong, Jongno, and Gwanghwamun!

Sometimes patients ask whether they must get a crown after root canal treatment.

Yes! In most cases, you should get a crown.

Teeth that have had root canal treatment become weakened, so if they continue to be used, they often break and end up needing extraction.

In such cases, it is common for treatment to go beyond a crown and even require an implant.

I think the reason people ask this is probably because of the crown cost.

Root canal treatment is covered by insurance, so the cost is relatively low because it is partly covered by the country.

However, crowns are not covered by insurance, so they do cost a certain amount.

(We will also explain our clinic’s crown fees at the end of the post.)

If you leave a tooth untreated after root canal treatment without getting a crown, you may end up needing an implant.

[Only photos posted with the patient’s consent are published]

What happens if you do not get a crown after root canal treatment?

Tooth after root canal treatment without a crown -> fracture

It is common for a tooth that had root canal treatment but no crown to fracture. If, like in the photos above, there is almost no remaining tooth structure to shape for a crown, you cannot simply attach a crown above the gum line. The chance of extraction becomes very high.

Tooth after root canal treatment without a crown -> fracture

The case above is similar.

The root canal treatment was done overseas, and because crowns are more expensive there, it was left untreated.

As a result, the tooth could not be fully covered with a crown, the tooth broke down completely, and only the root portion remained as shown here.

In many cases, it becomes impossible to even place a crown.

Therefore, in the case of molars, treatment is usually only complete after both root canal treatment and a crown.

For front teeth, some cases require a crown while others do not, so you should follow the dentist’s diagnosis.

City Hall Station Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic, Natural-Looking Zirconia Crowns

In the past, gold was often used for crowns.

Today, most dental clinics use zirconia crowns for various reasons.

This is because they are biocompatible, fairly strong, and have the advantage of looking similar to natural tooth color.

Of course, if a gold crown is more appropriate for a particular case, we proceed with a gold crown.

In particular, our clinic’s zirconia crowns are made by professional dental technicians at a lab that produces them carefully and accurately, even if the lab fee is higher.

Sometimes, low-cost labs do not preserve the shape of the tooth and may make the chewing surface too flat, which can be a problem.

Before and after zirconia crown treatment

Before and after zirconia crown treatment

Also, depending on the case during prosthetic treatment, we use a combination of intraoral scanning and traditional impressions appropriately.

Neither intraoral scanning is always better, nor is traditional impressions always better.

We use the most stable and appropriate method for each case and material.

[This is a video taken with the patient’s consent]

Front tooth crowns are more complex than molar crowns.

For front tooth crowns, special attention must be paid to the shape and color.

Please refer to the blog post below.

https://blog.naver.com/yonseiyegam/223752648029

How much do crowns cost?

As of 2025, the cost of zirconia crowns at our Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic is as follows:

Molar zirconia crown: 500,000 KRW

Front tooth zirconia crown: 650,000 KRW (600,000 KRW per tooth for two or more front teeth)

*Examination: Additional insurance-covered treatment fees set by the national health insurance system apply separately

*When removing an existing crown, resin, or other restoration: Additional insurance-covered treatment fees set by the national health insurance system apply separately

Molar teeth and front teeth have different functions, so the materials themselves are also different.

People, including foreigners and overseas Koreans, even come to Korea specifically to get crowns.

We have looked at zirconia crowns at our City Hall Station dental clinic,

Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic.