What is a Dental Endopost?
Surely you have heard or know what an endodontic or nerve treatment is and when you should resort to this type of treatment, but do you know what is a dental endopost and why it is important to place it on many occasions?
What is a dental endopost?
An endopost, dental post or pin, is a rigid structure a few millimeters long, which is placed in the root canal of a tooth or molar that has previously undergone an endodontic (nerve treatment). It is fixed to the root canal by means of a special dental cement for this purpose.
The posts are indicated when the tooth has a cavity, fracture or very large restoration previously, so it has little remaining tooth structure enough to restore or rehabilitate it. The post helps us to support the restoration of the tooth.
Likewise, most of the time it is recommended to place a crown afterwards to further secure the tooth.
What is an endopost for?
It must be taken into account that a tooth that has undergone a nerve treatment becomes a fragile tooth, since when performing the removal of dental caries a certain percentage of dental tissue is lost, which can involve almost 50% of the tooth tissue. This occurs more frequently in pieces such as molars and premolars.
When your dentist or endodontist assesses that the remaining tooth structure of the tooth is not sufficient to carry out a dental inlay, you have to carry out a rehabilitation that involves rebuilding the tooth by placing a post inside the tooth and then place the dental crown.
Among the main functions of a post are the following
- To provide retention to the reconstruction of the tooth.
- Guarantees the durability of the semi-destroyed tooth.
- Gives rigidity to the endodontic piece.
Advantages of using a dental endopost
The endoposts are used to reconstruct the piece treated with an endodontic treatment and give greater strength and support to the restoration.
In addition to this, we have other advantages of using them such as:
- They can adapt to the shape of the root canal very well.
- They are placed in a single session.
- Its placement is simple and painless.
There are different types of posts and different materials, for example, fiberglass, which makes them very aesthetic and with a very good adhesion to the dental structure.
Types of dental endoposts
There are several types of endoposte, which are as follows:
According to their modulus of elasticity:
- Rigid: they are made of metal and various alloys.
- Flexible: those made of fiberglass try to imitate the composition of the tooth.
According to their composition:
- Metal posts, have greater retention, but are more aggressive and require laboratory testing.
- Ceramic posts.
- Carbon fiber posts, these are widely used as they reduce the risk of root fracture.
- Fiberglass posts.
According to the way they are made:
- Anatomical: these are the ones that have the best adaptation to the canal.
- Prefabricated: they exist in different types, sizes and materials.
The choice of one post or another depends on the patient and the dental piece to be reconstructed. As a general rule, as long as the root canal treatment is done correctly, the placement of a post is simple and quick without pain for the patient.
Endodontics in Costa Rica
It is very important that the nerve or endodontic treatments you need are performed by an endodontist or endodontics specialist because in many cases, a poorly done treatment will not eliminate the tooth pain caused by tooth decay and there is a risk of infection.
If this happens, retreatment may be required, which can be a more complex treatment and can be more costly for you.
At Lamicq Dental Care, we can perform nerve and endodontic treatments with endodontic root canal placement to restore your tooth in the best way and with a specialist’s attention.
Do not hesitate to contact us on our WhatsApp or visit us in San Francisco de Dos Rios to schedule an appointment!