Broken tooth and utilizing clinical judgment in regard to proper endodontic therapy

This woman presented to my office with a broken front tooth. The broken tooth segment was an acrylic material over an acrylic post. This was destined to fail  due to the lack of strength of this restorative material. This was an asymptomatic tooth. It  was also noticed that on the radiograph there is a periapical radiolucency and no obturating material ( gutta percha  ) in the apical third of this canal. It appears also that the apical third is calcified. Though this clinical picture  tends to prompt the dentist to rectify these deficiencies, many times, this tooth will remain asymtomatic. In this case, the patient was advised of the possible need for further treatment in the future   ( an apicoectomy ).

Today’s therapy  included preparation of the canal for placement of a  carbon fiber post/ core and fabrication of a temporary crown. In order to isolate the root, local anesthesia was administered and  gingival retraction cord was placed.