RESTORING THE INTRARADICULAR SPACE

Too often patients with fractured teeth are referred for extraction and implant placement with little consideration given to the conservative option of post and core treatment. But it has been demonstrated that endodontic and implant therapies have equivalent results when the treatments are appropriately chosen and performed at a high level of expertise. After all, advancements in endodontic technology and instrumentation have allowed the clinician to visualize, identify, and treat complexities they could not have fathomed a decade ago, and advancements in restorative material formulations have expanded the treatment possibilities for the patient, clinician, and technician. This changing technology has allowed the clinician to treat many clinical challenges through simpler, more conservative, and more economical methods. As such, this text provides a detailed and scientific description of the evolution of the post and core system and the significance of the adhesive design concept when restoring the intraradicular post space. The author presents the various applications and restorative techniques that he uses on a daily basis for restoring the post space, and the esthetics speak for themselves. Every aspect is covered, from general design criteria and the components of the post and core systems to post materials, adhesive bonding and luting agents, material selection, core buildup, and finally, the extracoronal restoration.