Restorative & Aesthetic Dentistry

Fragment reattachment / Biological restoration

Introduction Patient came with c/c of Ellis class III i.r.t 11 Coronal fractures are the most frequent traumatic injuries that affect permanent teeth. Majority...

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Founder & Chief Dentist · Indira Dental Clinic; DentalReach

2 min read10,959 views
  • aesthetic restoration
  • professional education
  • pulpotomy
  • tooth fracture
  • composite resin
  • dentistry
  • fragment reattachment
  • trauma
  • Restorative & Aesthetic Dentistry
  • Clinical & Academic Article
Contents

Introduction

Patient came with c/c of Ellis class III i.r.t 11

Coronal fractures are the most frequent traumatic injuries that affect permanent teeth. Majority of dental injuries involve the anterior teeth, especially maxillary incisors whereas the mandibular central incisors and maxillary lateral incisors are less frequently involved.

Reattachment of original tooth fragment has some advantages like natural tooth contours, texture, colour, translucency with better esthetic. Even, it enhances the durability because of natural incisal wear resistance of a sound dental tissue.

Advantages

  • Offering easy reproduction of shape, contour, and texture of the natural tooth.
  • Provides unchanged colour and optical characteristics.

Disadvantages

  • Colour change due to inadequate rehydration of the fragment.
  • Carries the possibility of detachment of the fragment.

Case Report

A 9-year-old girl reported to our clinic with a traumatic injury while playing. On clinical examination, Ellis class III fracture was present i.r.t. 11. A pinpoint exposure was seen i.r.t. 11. No symptoms of pain or swelling reported. So, Cvek’s pulpotomy using MTA was planned w.r.t. same followed by composite build up.

While doing the parental counselling on treatment, parents were explained to on the benefits of fractured tooth fragment and its consequences in the future. Parents went back to school at the injury site and found out the tooth fragment. As discussed, they immediately put the fragment in cold milk and came back.

Extremely happy to see the results of positive counselling, changed the treatment plan to Cvek’s pulpotomy using MTA followed by fragment reattachment using flowable composite resin.

cvek's pulpotomy was done using GIC and MTA WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 59 48 1After cvek's pulpotomy WaterMark 2018 12 28 17 03 43 Tooth fragment WaterMark 2018 12 28 17 04 19 Etching the fragment with 37% phosphoric acid for 15 seconds. WaterMark 2018 12 28 17 03 09 Application of 3M ESPE (Single bond 2) bonding agent. WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 56 48 Light curing for 15 seconds. WaterMark 2018 12 28 17 00 17 Before starting full-mouth scaling was done. WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 59 48 Etching with 37% phosphoric acid (Sorry did'nt have teflon sheet). WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 59 20 Fragment reattachment using flowable composite resin. WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 58 10 Post operative. WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 57 29 No high points. WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 57 08Post operative radiograph i.r.t. 11 WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 54 54After 6 months follow-up WaterMark 2018 12 28 16 53 27

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the case report that fracture reattachment is viable, conservative and aesthetic alternative for treatment of crown fractures. The long term prognosis is still obscure, but it is an immediate technique of aesthetic rehabilitation in the management of traumatized tooth.

Bearing in mind that it is a simple, fast, affordable, and aesthetically predictable technique. Tooth fragment reattachment should always be the treatment method of choice when the fragment is present and in good condition. Even, if a perfect adaptation is not observable.

References

  1. [1]Young DA, Nový BB, Zeller GG, et al.. The American Dental Association Caries Classification System for Clinical Practice Journal of the American Dental Association. 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2014.11.018. Available at: source
  2. [2]Miao C, Yang X, Wong MCM, et al.. Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009858.pub3. Available at: source

Written by

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Founder & Chief Dentist · Indira Dental Clinic; DentalReach

Dr. Rockson Samuel is a dental surgeon, healthcare content strategist, and Founder and Chief Dentist of Indira Dental Clinic in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. He provides comprehensive general and family dental care with professional interests in endodontics, implant dentistry, clear aligner therapy, digital dentistry, preventive care and patient education. A graduate of K.G.F. College of Dental Sciences and Hospital under Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, he also has formal training in management and digital marketing. As Community Leader at DentalReach, he contributes to dental publishing, professional education, international media partnerships and the development of evidence-informed resources for dentists.