Fractured cusp treatment and amalgam replacement with a lithium disilicate crownlay

Case by Max Andrup

This is the story of cusp fracture due to cuspal tension. This is a common weakness of amalgam-restored teeth associated with expansion of the restorative material. The affected maxillary right first premolar was restored with a crownlay.

For seating of the crownlay, the use of warmed light-curing resin composite (CLEARFIL™ AP-X) has proven its worth. Compared to a dual-cure luting resin, the selected material offers many benefits including the fact that the heat assists in the conversion of monomers to polymers, the time available to remove excess is almost unlimited, and the composite offers better bio-mechanical properties as well as a lower polymerization shrinkage stress.

Fig. 1. Pre-operative situation. The patient requested for an emergency appointment, where we temporarily fixed the lost buccal cusp and made a new appointment for a crownlay preparation. After removing the amalgam and temporary filling, the remaining amount of tooth structure was quite beneficial with a large lingual cusp and a ring of enamel around the whole tooth.

Fig. 2. The decision was made to reduce the lingual cusp and to place a crownlay working in compression. As the thickness of the cusp was adequate for an onlay, this treatment option would have been equally suitable. After tooth preparation, immediate dentin sealing was performed: For this purpose, I air-abraded the dentin to remove the smear layer and give the adhesive the best condition for a strong bond to dentin. Then, CLEARFIL™ SE Protect was applied to the tooth surface and covered with a thin layer of flowable resin composite (CLEARFIL MAJESTY™ Flow) to ensure a total seal.

Fig. 3. The resin composite surface was air-abraded with 50 μm zirconia particles, followed by selective etching of the enamel with a 35-percent phosphoric acid etchant. After try-in of the crownlay made of lithium disilicate, the tooth surface and the restoration were cleaned with KATANA™ Cleaner.

FINAL SITUATION

Fig. 4. The cleaned crownlay was pre-treated with CLEARFIL™ Ceramic Primer, before warmed CLEARFIL™ AP-X was applied to both tooth structure and restoration for luting. The colour of the crownlay matched the colour of the adjacent premolar, while the visible part of the restored tooth’s remaining structure was stained from amalgam corrosion.

Dentist:

Max Andrup graduated from the University of Umeå in 2010 and today runs his private practice in the city of Hudiksvall, Sweden. He has a passion for restorative dentistry with a biomimetic approach.