2010 Volume 63 Issue 5.6 Pages 247-251
A conventional goal of dentistry has been to save natural teeth whenever possible. However, dentists'willingness to attempt to save so-called hopeless teeth seems to have dramatically decreased with advances in implant treatment.
I am presenting four successful kinds of treatment of teeth previously diagnosed as hopeless, resulting in the regeneration of periodontal membranes and resuscitation of the teeth. The first treatments were apexifications of apical lesions in undeveloped root apexes. The second treatment was a root canal treatment and replantation to a refractory apical lesion. The third treatment was a transplantation and replantation for periodontitis. A fourth treatment that showed marked improvement used guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and enamel matrix protein derivative (EMD) for severe periodontitis.
Lastly, I am proposing five criteria for successful tooth transplantation and tooth implantation:
1) there should be no inflammation in the recipient site;
2) the root apex should be completely closed by root canal filling material;
3) the periodontal the membrane should not be allowed to become dry;
4) the duration of transplantation procedure should be as short as possible;and
5) the splint should reliably hold the implantation tooth.