Hi i had tooth pain(second toothe from the back of the top right side)
when drinking cold water. i went to my dentist and he couldn't find
anything with the x-ray, i did have a filling on that tooth. he redid
the filling but the pain still there. i talked to some of friends from
dental school and they told me i may have a hairline fracture that
general dentists don't have the tool to spot it, and that i will need
a root canal.  i went back to my dentist and he did the root canal on
it. the pain is gone now and i'm happy. however, he did not place a
crown on that tooth, but added filling on it. my dental school friends
told me it may not be a good idea not to have crown since the tooth
may is weaken and may break. i asked my dentist about it and he told
me he's conservative and didn't think i needed it, but told me if i'm
worried he'll put one on.  is it common to have root canal without a
crown? i don't want it to break and then have it extracted.....

pete