Restoration of the endodontically treated tooth Flashcards
When we clinically assess the tooth what do we want to look at
• Look at the coronal seal of the restoration or crown, is there any leakage or caries?
• Look at the amount of remaining tooth structure, how much ferrule is there?
Is the tooth restorable and can it be isolated with a rubber dam?
When doing the clinical assessment what things do we look at that indicate infection
• Is there any swellings
• Are there any sinuses
• Is there tenderness to percussion
• Is the buccal sulcus tender to palpation
• Is the tooth mobile
Is there increased pocketing due to periodontal disease and root fracture
What do we look at in a radiographic assessment in relation to the tooth
- What is the shape of the canal?
- Is bone support mild, moderate or severe
- What is the crown to root ratio?
What is the ideal crown to root ratio
○ Want height of the crown from the ACJ to the incisal edge/cusp
Want the root to be 1.5 times the length of the crown
When doing the radiographic assessment, what do we look at when critiquing the root treatment
○ Are there unfilled or missing root canals?
○ Are there any voids?
○ Is there fractured instruments?
○ Is there posts?
○ Is there root canal sclerosis?
○ Is there any pathologies such as periapical radiolucency
○ Is there any healing or resorption?
What should be done to inadequate root fillings
should be retreated before prosthodontics commences
What are other considerations in assessment
When was the RCT done? Is it healing or has it failed
• Was the treatment done under rubber dam and was hypochlorite irrigant used
Is the root filling short or long
What is coronal micro leakage
- This is the ingress of oral micro-organisms into the root canal system
- It is an importance cause of root canal treatment failure
When should a tooth be retreated after exposure
• If filled teeth is unrestored for 3 months or longer it should generally be re-rot treated as the GP is exposed to the mouth and so the root canal will be contaminated with bacteria as they have entered coronally
How important is coronal seal
• Technical quality of the coronal restoration is significantly more important for periodontal health than the technical quality of the RCT
What are problems after RCT/re-RCT
- Amount of remaining tooth structure both externally and internally
- The restoration type
- Lac or no ferrule
- Wide post holes
- Endodontic complications such as fractured instruments, perforations, short/long fillings
Are endodontic teeth more brittle
• Teeth do not become more brittle after endodontic treatment
Is an endodontic tooth more likely to fracture
• A root filled tooth with minimal loss of dentine is not more likely to fracture than a vital tooth
Is dentine hardness altered after endo tx
• Dentine hardness is not altered after endodontic treatment
Does dehydration of the tooth weaken dentine
• Dehydration does not appear to weaken dentine structure in terms of strength or toughness
What are the clinical choices
• Direct restoration - composite (glass ionomer) - class III or IV (glass ionomer tends to be used in class V cervical restorations) Indirect restoration - crown or post crown (veneer
What is the significance of marginal ridges
- If these are intact then you do a restoration, not crowns and post crowns
- When you lose a lot of the marginal ridge then you may need to go down the road of replacing them with crowns
What is the restoration for an anterior tooth with intact marginal ridge
can be given a direct restoration using composite
What is the restoration of anterior teeth with intact marginal ridges with our without a discoloured crown
direct restoration with composite, bleaching (think of bleaching both internally and externally before going down the route of indirect restorations)and or a veneer or a crown
What is the restoration for anterior teeth with marginal ridges destroyed
can opt for a core build up with a crown or a post crown
What is the function of a post/core
Gains intraradicular support for a definitive restoration
What does the core do
Core provides retention for crown
is what the prosthesis is cemented to e.g crown or bride abutment
What does the post do
- Post retains the core
- Posts DO NOT strength or reinforce teeth
placed in the root canal
Why can posts weaken teeth
• Prep of the root canal for a post weakens the tooth because you have to remove tooth structure in the inside to create space
What is the guidelines for posts in incisors and canines
§ the post is unnecessary if there is sufficient coronal dentine present
§ if there is extensive loss of coronal tooth tissue then the tooth will require a post as the pulp chamber and a single root canal are not adequate to retain a core
avoid in mandibular incisors
Why should posts be avoided in mandibular incisors
avoid in mandibular incisors due to thin/tapering/narrow mesiodistal roots
What are features of premolars
hey have small pulp chambers and tapering roots
§ They are thin in mesiodistal cross section and have proximal invaginations e.g the canine eminence region where there is a concavity
If a post is placed in a premolar where should it be placed
§ If a post is to be placed then it should be placed in the widest root canal
§ Avoid in curved canals to avoid perforations as the posts are straight
What should the length of the root filling be for a post
4-5mm root filling apically
What should the post width be
○ No more than 1/3 of root width at the narrowest point and 1mm of remaining circumferential coronal dentine
How much of the post length should be in the root
• Sufficient alveolar bone support is required and at least half of the post length should be into the root