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GARY R. JOHNSON, DDS, MAGD
A graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry, Dr. Johnson completed the Dentist-in-Residence Program and a UIC College of Medicine Residency before being appointed Assistant Clinical Professor at UIC College of Medicine.
He received a certificate of Orthodontics and Dental Orthopedics from the USDI, was awarded the Academy of General Dentistry Fellowship and Mastership, and is Board Eligible in General Dentistry. An international lecturer and published author, Dr. Johnson has advised elected officials on oral healthcare at the federal, state, and local levels and is currently in private practice in suburban Chicago.
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Post Strength, Flexibility, Esthetics, and Retention with ParaPost Taper Lux
In some restorative cases, it’s beneficial to use a post to help retain the core, reinforce the coronal tooth structure, and increase the retention and stability of a crown. The ParaPost system from Coltene offers a versatile range of fiber posts, metal posts, and prefabricated casting post components for any clinical situation. With a cylindrical-conical design and 4% taper, ParaPost Taper Lux Posts are ideal for narrow canals and creating metal-free, highly esthetic restorations.
When selecting a post size for a patient, it’s important to consider the length of the post—the longer the post, the greater the retention—and the post diameter, which should be less than one-third of the root diameter at each level of the root.
The 4% tapered design of ParaPost Taper Lux protects the outer thickness of the tapering root at all levels and allows easy insertion, apical fit, fracture resistance, and retention. The “3 ball-heads” of the ParaPost Taper Lux and multiple body undercuts pro- vide significant retention. This translucent post transmits light for fast, full-length, on-command cementation, restoration-tooth translucency, and esthetics.
When cementing a post, I use SoloCem, a universal resin cement that does not require etching, separate adhesive, or light curing. The combination of ParaPost Taper Lux and SoloCem is a fast, effective, simple, esthetic, and predictable choice for post-cementation.
Case Presentation
A 73-year-old woman presented with a history of root canal therapy (Figure 1) and compromised coronal tooth structure (Figure 2) on tooth No. 13. Prior to crown preparation, a ParaPost Taper Lux Post will be placed to help reinforce the coronal tooth structure and increase retention and stability of the future crown.
Preparing the Post Space
A translucent esthetic PF1815 5.0 (0.05” diameter) post was chosen for the procedure. Using the transparent overlaying ParaPost Taper Lux Guide (Figure 3) on the x-ray, 10-12mm was measured as the maximum post length. A Gates-Glidden #4 (1.10 mm) drill was used to prepare the post space. Then, a Para-Post Taper Lux 4.5 drill (0.045” diameter) was used followed by a ParaPost Taper Lux 5.0 drill (0.050” diameter) (Figure 4) to prepare the 9-10 mm post space using a slow-speed contra-angle at 750-1,000 rpm. All weakened and unsupported tooth structure was removed. The preparation was cleaned, irrigated, and dried with paper points and air to avoid desiccation.
Placing the Post
A dual-cure self-adhesive resin cement was used to bond the post to the tooth structure. A small amount of SoloCem was expressed with a self-mixing tip on a pad (Figure 5). SoloCem was used to coat the post (Figure 6) as well as injected deeply into the prepared canal with a very narrow Coltene tip (Figure 7). The coated tapered post was easily and quickly inserted into the canal space to full prepared length (Figure 8). Excess resin cement was expressed around the post and removed. The post and cement were light-cured for 30+ seconds and then self-cured for an additional 3 minutes. The post heads were shortened with a diamond bur (Figure 9).
The SoloCem resin cement filled in the gap between the tooth walls and the post. After the effective use of Para- Post Taper Lux and SoloCem, the tooth is now ready for a core buildup and crown preparation (Figure 10).
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