The patient presented with the chief complaint of a lost filling (Figure 1). The maxillary right canine had extensive caries into the pulp. The caries was excavated from the tooth and endodontic therapy was completed. The patient returned for follow-up care and stated that the tooth was asymptomatic.
(Figure 1).
(Figure 2).
After excavating all of the caries, a hard-tissue crown lengthening was necessary to expose the distal margin and ensure sufficient tooth structure for the crown margin placement. There was insufficient remaining tooth structure to retain a crown (Fig. 2). A post and core procedure was indicated to re-establish proper resistance and retention form.
The post chosen was LuxaPost. This post is tapered and has a low flexural modulus to reduce the risk of root fracture. The post can be cemented with the core material to form a strong monoblock core.
Figure 3.
A post hole was created using the appropriate core removal drills and the tapered post was fitted into the canal space (Figure. 3).
The canal was conditioned with LuxaBond. LuxaBond is a dual-cure adhesive system that guarantees complete curing, even to the bottom of a deep canal post preparation.
Figure 4.
LuxaCore Z-Dual core build-up material (Zenith Dental) was injected into the canal using an automix gun, and the post was placed into the canal (Fig. 4). LuxaCore Z-Dual is a dual-cure nano-technology core material that exhibits excellent flow characteristics and high compressive strength. The ability to flow ensures optimal adaptation to the canal walls and a very thin cement thickness.
Figure 5.
More LuxaCore Z-Dual was injected around the post and the material was placed into the tooth (Fig. 5). The material was initially cured using an Avanté LED curing light (Pentron). The core build-up material was allowed to continuing curing in order to take advantage of its dual-cure properties before commencing with a crown preparation.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
The tooth was prepared for a crown. The LuxaCore Z-Dual material cuts like dentin and matches tooth color, so as to not darken the tooth if an all-porcelain restoration is planned (Figs. 6 and 7). The material is easily polished and provides a smooth surface for an easier impression. The impression was taken using the H&H (hydraulic and hydrophobic) cordless impression technique.
Immediately following crown preparation, a primary impression was taken with Blue Velvet impression material and allowed to set. Then, Flexi-Velvet wash material (J. Morita) was injected into the impression of the prepped tooth. The Flexi-Velvet was hydraulically forced into the sulcus. The material is hydrophobic, allowing it to set in the presence of ginigival fluids or blood. Thus, a very accurate impression can be made without the use of retraction cord.
The dental laboratory fabricated a crown and the tooth was restored back to its proper form and function.