Dentistry is a profession with many disciplines.  This means that there are several different specialties, such as, oral surgery, periodontics, orthodontics, and endodontics as well as a few others.  Usually if I see a case that is outside of my comfort zone I will refer to one of the specialists with more training than I in that specific area.  In other words the referrals usually go from generalist to specialist.

I consider it a privilege and am humbled that one of my colleagues came across a case and had the confidence to refer the patient to me for restoration.  This is an upper right first molar with completed endodontic treatment by her.  (Root Canal) As you can see there is not much of the tooth left to work with and I will have to work some magic.

I first carefully remove part of the root canal in the largest of the canals and with some specialized instrumentation take an impression of the inside of the tooth.  The post is made in a lab and fabricated in gold.

Anchored in the canal and cemented in the tooth, we now have a sold core to work with here.

Any reader knows that I am a big fan of gold but due to esthetics, this patient elected to have a natural looking porcelain crown. This is also fabricated in a lab based on my specific direction as to color, shape, and contour. This is how it comes back to me, on a model.

Here it is cemented in place.

This new tooth is strong and durable.  Yet the material used is biocompatable and has been shown not to wear or abrade opposing teeth. This new crown should provide many years of reliable service.