Endodontic treatment of a 36-mm long upper cuspid: clinical case report

Abstract

PURPOSE: To report a clinical case of a 36 mm long upper cuspid submitted to root canal treatment, with emphasis on the alternative technique employed. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 32 years old, male patient had suffered subluxation of teeth 12 and 13 and coronal fracture involving enamel and dentin, as well as pulp exposition, of tooth 14 because of a motorcycle accident. The man was given dental assistance and a semi-rigid splinting of teeth numbers 12 and 13 was carried out followed by the root canal treatment in a single visit on tooth no. 14. At 30-day follow-up pulp necrosis was detected in teeth 12 and 13 and the root canal treatment was implemented. The tooth 13 was 36 mm long and since the longest possible file (31 mm) was already in use, the cervical limit of the access cavity was considered as the reference point. CONCLUSION: This technique not only provided adequate disinfection, preparation and filling of the root canal, but it also allowed preservation of the remaining tooth structure.