Management of Calcified Canal with the Aid of Cone Beam Computer Tomography

Trauma to teeth can lead to deposition of hard tissue within the root canal space. This is referred to as calcific metamorphosis (CM). It is clinically manifested as loss of translucency and yellowish appearance of the tooth. Clinicians are frequently in a dilemma as to whether to treat these teeth non-surgically or surgically. The use of conventional radiographs often do not give a clear picture of the actual root canal anatomy because of its inherent limitations. Thus in cases of CM, cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) can aid in evaluating the extent and nature of calcification, depth of calcification and can guide the clinician to access the patent portion of the canal. Moreover, on the bases of the information received from the CBCT scan, clinician can decide whether to go for a non-surgical or surgical treatment.

Author(s): Girish Pallippurath, Manuel S. Thomas and Rayapudi Phani Mohan

Abstract | PDF

Share This Article