All-ceramic post core, and crown: technique and case report

Abstract

The functional and esthetic restoration of severely compromised anterior teeth is a challenge to clinicians in their daily practice. The duplication of the optical characteristics of an intact tooth, including shade, translucency, and fluorescence, is often made difficult by the use of metal infrastructures, such as post-and-cores and copings. The development of reinforced ceramics and non-metallic post systems made possible the generation of metal-free ceramic restorations in severely compromised anterior and posterior teeth. This article discusses one available technique for the generation of a single all-ceramic restoration involving the use of a zirconia- or leucite-reinforced post-and-core system and of an all-ceramic crown system. A representative clinical case is presented illustrating the potential of the technique.

Clinical significance: Modern ceramic restorative systems offer the possibility to closely match the natural optical characteristics of lost tooth structure. Posts, cores, and copings fabricated in ceramic materials represent a promising alternative to metals in the restoration of severely compromised anterior teeth.