Root canal posts for the restoration of root filled teeth

There is weak evidence from one trial of 200 people that carbon fibre posts have fewer failures after 4 years than metal-cast posts. More research is needed.
Root canal posts are placed in teeth that have lost an extensive amount of tooth structure because of decay, failed fillings (restorations) or tooth fractures. Post and core systems can be metal or non-metal and provide a way to securely anchor the filling material core to the tooth. The core is retained by the post and the tooth can then be restored with a crown. The post is inserted into the root canal of an endodontically-treated tooth. Thus it provides retention for the final restoration. In one study, non-metal posts induced fewer failures. Thus more research is necessary to indicate which system should be used for different clinical cases.