Restorative management of grossly mutilated molar teeth using endocrown: A novel concept

Abstract

The endocrown is a restorative option for endodontically treated teeth. It consists of a circular butt-joint margin and a central retention cavity inside the pulp chamber and lacks intraradicular anchorage. Endocrowns are formed from a monoblock containing the coronal portion integrated into the apical projection that fills the pulp chamber space and possibly the root canal ingresses. This article describes the rationale and clinical guidelines for the placement of endocrowns. In the cases presented, extensively damaged teeth were superseded with endocrowns composed of pressed ceramics (Empress 2, Ivoclar), following endodontic and periodontal therapy. The substructure of this technique is to utilize the surface available in the pulpal chamber to assume the stability and retention of the restoration through adhesive procedures. By eliminating the utilization of a post and filling core, the number of adhesive bond interfaces is reduced, thus making the restoration less susceptible to the adverse effects of degradation of the hybrid layer. In these clinical cases, the 24 months survival of the endocrown restoration may be considered prosperous.