What we offer
Our expert dental team at Jackson Ave Dental offers three types of post and core in Long Island City. It is possible to get it as a cast post, prefab post, or post-less with just a core from our dentist office. They can be completed in one visit except the cast one because it requires the dental lab to make it.
Cast Post and Core
A cast post and core is completely made of metal. It may not be the most aesthetic way to restore the damaged tooth but it is certainly the strongest. This takes two dental visits to do.
Prefabricated Post and Core
A prefab post and core utilizes a titanium or glass fiber post along with composite resin to fix the destroyed tooth. It only takes 1 visit to complete.
Core Build Up
A core build up is the most aesthetic way to restore your tooth because it is 100% metal-less. Current dental bonding technology has rendered the "post" portion to be unnecessary.
When a post and core is needed
This procedure is necessary after a root canal and can ONLY be done after the endodontic therapy. The reason is because the post has to be inserted into the nerve canal. If the nerve is still present, it would cause a toothache.
Essentially if your tooth has a hole in it or it is missing tooth structure, that will need to be replaced or rebuilt prior to getting a crown. The purpose of this procedure is to do that.
What teeth look like after root canals
To exemplify our point, after a root canal and the decay has been cleaned out. The tooth will be in a shape that is unfit to receive a crown. It looks uneven, sharp, not smooth, and not uniform. However, after the post and core procedure, the tooth will look more uniform and ready for a crown to be placed.
How we can help
Our team of long island city dentists at Jackson Ave Dental can return your tooth back to a proper shape to fit a crown with a post/core procedure.The entire procedure will take two visits for a cast one but only one visit for prefab.
The first appointment should take 30-45 minutes. If there is a second appointment it will take an additional 30 minutes.
What to expect for a cast post:
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No numbing is required unless you request it.
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Remove temporary filling by drilling it out.
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Prepare the post space by drilling into the straightest canal.
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Take an impression of the post space and send it to the lab.
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Replace the temporary filling until the next visit.
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Once the permanent comes back, it just needs to be glued in.
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Now you are ready for the next step, crown preparation.
What to expect for a prefab post:
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No local anesthesia is necessary.
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Excavate the temporary filling.
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Prepare the post space with gates glidden and peeso reamer drills.
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Cement the prefabricated post with core build up material.
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Adjust and polish it.
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Now you are ready for the next step, crown prep.
Procedure Step by Step with Photos
Cost
The cost of a post and core dental procedure is typically covered at 80% by PPO dental insurances. That means you'll be responsible for a 20% copay.
We've personally never seen any insurance plans deny this benefit as long as you've had a root canal done on the tooth. Our dentist office is in network with most major PPO insurances. Please check our list of accepted insurances to see if you can get your dental care with us!
FAQs
Is the procedure painful?
This treatment is done after root canal treatment so that means the tooth is now nerveless. In other words, it should not feel any pain even if you don't get any local anesthesia.
Is it the same as an implant?
This procedure is NOT the same as a dental implant. The implant is a titanium screw that goes into the bone. Yes, it can be considered a post as well. A post and core goes into a tooth and not the jaw bone. That is the main difference. However, an implant can be considered as an alternative to this procedure. That is especially true if it fails because then the only option left would be the implant.