REINFORCEMENT OF FRACTURE RESISTANCE AFTER APEXIFICATION : CASE REPORT

Lee, Young-Ho; Park, Ho-Won; Lee, Ju-Hyun; Seo, Hyun-Woo

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Academy of Pediatric Dentistry 2012;39(4):397-403.
Published online November 30, 2012.

REINFORCEMENT OF FRACTURE RESISTANCE AFTER APEXIFICATION : CASE REPORT

Young-Ho Lee, Ho-Won Park, Ju-Hyun Lee, Hyun-Woo Seo

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Dental College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University

치근단 형성술 후 약화된 치아의 파절 저항성 보강: 증례보고

이영호, 박호원, 이주현, 서현우

강릉원주대학교 치과대학 소아치과학교실

Correspondence: Hyun-Woo Seo, Tel: 033-640-2758, Email: hwseo@gwnu.ac.kr

Received: 7 September 2012 • Accepted: 25 October 2012

Abstract

The vitality of immature tooth could be lost by dental caries, trauma and fracture of malformed tooth. The vitality loss might lead to halt of the development of the root. The recommended endodontic treatment for a non-vital immature permanent tooth is apexification. Apexification is a method of inducing apical closure through the formation of mineralized tissue in the apical pulp region. Calcium hydroxide is the material of choice for apexification. Long-term exposure to calcium hydroxide may form the apical hard tissue, but weaken the dentin due to its alkaline nature and thus make the roots more susceptible to fracture. It is important to preserve any weakened tooth, so a permanent restoration is needed to reinforce teeth that are prone to fracture. The purpose of this case report was to describe the treatment for reinforcing immature teeth treated with long-term calcium hydroxide. In these cases, the apexes of teeth were sealed with MTA plugs and the root canals were restored with composite resin and fiber post.

Key Words: Apexification, Calcium hydroxide, MTA, Fiber post, Composite resin core