Restoration of endodontically treated anterior teeth with cast metallic post or prefabricated fibre post placement: 2 case reports and critical literature review

With a wide variety of post systems and materials available for the restoration of lost tooth structure of endodontically treated teeth, the clinical decision of which to use constitutes a challenge to dental practitioners. Cast metal post and cores are widely used for restoring endodontically treated teeth with extensive loss of coronal tooth structure and to retain metal-ceramic crowns. When dental aesthetics is of primary concern, the selection of the underlying restorative material becomes an important factor to consider. The fibre-reinforced posts combined with all-ceramic crowns offer a highly aesthetic outcome in anterior region restorations, but long-term evaluation is necessary in order to assess their clinical performance and longevity. The purpose of this paper was to present and compare 2 restorative options with regard to materials (cast metallic post and core versus prefabricated fibre post and composite resin core) for the prosthetic rehabilitation of cases with inadequate aesthetic appearance or fractured maxillary anterior teeth. Furthermore, the article reviews the main indications, advantages, and disadvantages from the use of the 2 post types combined with the final restorations, in order to allow the dental practitioner make the selection of appropriate restorative materials.