RESTORATION OF PULPLESS TEETH - APPLICATION OF TRADITIONAL PRINCIPLESIN PRESENT AND FUTURE CONTEXTS

Posts were recommended more than 100 years ago to retain artificial cr owns. Recent studies suggest that posts can weaken teeth; therefore re storative procedures that help preserve pulpal vitality and eliminate the need for posts are desirable. If endodontic therapy is unavoidable , conservation of remaining tooth structure is most important. When a post is required to retain a core for an artificial crown, a custom ca st post is the most effective means of conserving tooth structure. The length of the post should not be compromised, although 4 to 5 mm of a pical. gutta-percha must be maintained, The restorative prognosis is i mproved if the width of the post does not exceed one half the width of the root, and the cemented artificial crown should extend apical to t he core to provide a 1.5 to 2 mm ferrule. Complex procedures have allo wed the dentist to restore extensively damaged teeth. However, extract ion and replacement with implant-supported prosthodontics may be more prudent with severely compromised teeth.