Clinical Insights: A New Direction
The Fiber Optic Post System by iLumi Sciences Inc provides a clinically successful post-retention system
Core stability and post retention are important in preventing failures in the restoration of endodontically treated teeth. The ideal post system should replace lost tooth structure while providing adequate retention for the core, retention of the restoration, and transfer of occlusal forces during function and parafunction to prevent root fracture.
Demand for clinically convenient post and core systems has provided a plethora of simplified “one-visit” post-and-core restorative options, placing the onus on clinicians to choose the best one. Fiber-reinforced posts do not have the same mechanical, physical, or optical characteristics, and the quality of the system depends on the type of fiber, morphology of the fiber and matrix, concentration of fibers, direction of the fibers, pretensioning of the fibers, proper impregnation of fibers, and the manufacturing process.
A fiberoptic post system — the iLumi Super Fiber Post — possesses the physical, mechanical, and optical properties to improve bonding of the post to the canal space. These properties and the clinical behavior of a post system are based on the percentage of fiber in the post and its cladding structure. Stylianou et al1 and their later research2 demonstrate that iLumi posts bond to the resin cement and the canal space.
The technology used to bond the tooth to the iLumi fiber optic post is composed of fibers forcing light to be transmitted to the end of the post. The ILumi post bonds the adhesive applied to the post while the adhesive applied to the dentin canal space bonds the tooth completely to the fiber post, producing a bonded post with maximum retention.
The iLumi system had consistent light transmittance through the length of the post and polymerized a post cemented with light-polymerized resin cement. Price et al3 indicate that not all fiber posts transmit light to the same extent. They used beam profiling to illustrate that the iLumi Super Post delivers more light than five other post systems when examined under identical conditions using two different lights.
This research indicates that the improved polymerization of the resin cement around the iLumi fiber-optic posts is related to the posts’ different optical properties and fiber density and orientation. The radiopacity of iLumi fiber optic post is uniform throughout the length of the post and produced more radiopacity in the tooth than a metal titanium alloy post but less than that of the stainless steel post.
Over the past 3 years, our teams have completed countless cases using iLumi Sciences’ Super Fiber Post with success (Figures 1-4). The iLumi Sciences’ Super Fiber Post has provided us with a clinically successful post retention system. The post not only cures the resin cement, but also polymerizes the adhesive at the same step during post cementation — producing higher post retention. Additionally, it produces excellent retention, even when bonded with a light-cured resin cement. It has increased radiopacity and is easily detected on post-operative radiographs (Figure 5). It has been our experience that flowable materials can be used with the Super Fiber Post system because of the complete light transmission at the apex.
For information on this subject, see “Restoring the Intraradicular Space: Esthetic Post Systems” at quintpub.com.
References
- Stylianou A, Burgess JO, Liu PR, Givan DA, Lawson NC. Light-transmitting fiber optic posts: an vitro evaluation. J Prosthet Dent. 2017;117:116-123.
- Beck P, Cakir D, Ramp LC, et al. Retention of four fiber posts to root canal and core. Abstract 177769. Presented at the International Association of Dental Research Meeting; March 2013, Seattle.
- Price RB, Labrie D, Rueggeberg FA, Sullivan B, Kostylev I, Fahey J. Correlation between the beam profile from a curing light and the microhardness of four resins. Dent Mater. 2014;30:1345-1357.
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From Decisions of Dentistry. October 2023; 9(9):16