ABSTRACT
An 18-year-old female patient reported to the Department of Conservative and Endodontics with the chief complaint of fractured tooth with respect to 21 and increased pain and mobility tooth with respect to 22. Intraoral periapical radiograph of 21 revealed coronal loss of tooth structure involving enamel, dentin, and pulp, suggestive of split tooth with respect to 21. Intraoral examination revealed a fracture of coronal structure of 22 and increased mobility in the coronal aspect, suggestive of horizontal crown–root fracture. For management of 21, after endodontic phase, placement of fiberpost, and coronal buildup, intentional reimplantation was done to expose and reattach the vertically fractured root fragment. For management of 22, after endodontic phase, crown lengthening was done, and the fractured fragment was reattached by making it a Natural Richmond's Crown. Radiographs revealed a complete sealing of the fractured fragment and proper positioning of the tooth.
ABSTRACT
Scientific advances in the creation of restorative biomaterials, in vitro cell culture technology, tissue grafting, tissue engineering, molecular biology and the human genome project provide the basis for the introduction of new technologies into dentistry. Non-vital infected teeth have long been treated with root canal therapy (for mature root apex) and apexification (for immature root apex), or doomed to extraction. Although successful, current treatments fail to re-establish healthy pulp tissue in these teeth. But, what if the non-vital tooth could be made vital once again? That is the hope offered by regenerative endodontics, an emerging field focused on replacing traumatized and diseased pulp with functional pulp tissue. Restoration of vitality of non-vital tooth is based on tissue engineering and revascularization procedures. The purpose of this article is to review these biological procedures and the hurdles that must be overcome to develop regenerative endodontic procedures.