A New Approach for Minimally Invasive Access to Severely Calcified Anterior Teeth Using the Guided Endodontics Technique

Abstract

This article describes an endodontic treatment technique performed through a new minimally invasive approach that leads to no tooth damage at the incisal edge and uses cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging and 3-dimensional guides. A 26-year-old patient presented with pain in the anterior region of the maxilla and reported having suffered dental trauma 13 years prior. Radiographic examination exhibited no visible root canal on tooth # 9 with a slight thickening in the apical periodontal ligament space. Pulp sensitivity tests produced no response, whereas the percussion test responded positively. CBCT imaging revealed a visible canal space limited to the apical 2-mm section of the root. Guided endodontic access was planned after intraoral scanning of the tooth surface to be used with the CBCT scan. A virtual model was created with the aid of virtual implant software for the surgical access planning in such a way as not to damage the incisal edge of the tooth. The resulting guides were printed. With guides in position over the rubber dam, a mechanical-chemical preparation was performed in the root as soon as the canal was located. Intracanal medication was left for 14 days, after which the root canal was filled gutta-percha and the access cavity sealed. Follow-up was performed 1 year after completion of the treatment. The patient was asymptomatic with periapical tissue within normal limits. The guided endodontic therapy optimized the treatment, having provided a conservative access with no tooth damage at the incisal edge in a safe and predictable way despite the presence of a severely calcified root canal.

Keywords: Calcification; cone-beam computed tomography; endodontic access; intraoral scanning; tooth damage.