Contemporary Restoration of Endodontically Treated Teeth. Nadim Z. Baba

      My interest in the restoration of endodontically treated teeth dates back to my graduate-school days at Boston University. When working on my master’s project and thesis and later while studying for the American Board of Prosthodontics exam, I realized that very few books dealt with the restoration of pulpless teeth. The first book on that topic was published by Quintessence in 1982; two decades later, three books were published but all were somewhat limited in their scope. They dealt mainly with fiber posts, their characteristics, and their clinical applications.

      This book is primarily intended to be a manuscript that reviews the basic principles of diagnosis and treatment planning and describes numerous treatment options and the techniques recommended for contemporary treatment of endodontically treated teeth. The purpose of this book is to provide general dentists, endodontists, prosthodontists, and dental students (postgraduate and predoctoral) with a comprehensive review of the literature and evidence-based information for the treatment of endodontically treated teeth, keeping in mind the integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence.

      Four major themes are discussed. The first part focuses on treatment planning, treatment options, and materials used for the restoration of endodontically treated teeth. The second part reviews the principles and methods of restoration along with cementation, provisional restoration, and management of discolored endodontically treated teeth. The third part describes the different aspects of the management of severely damaged pulpless teeth. In the final part, treatment of complications and failures is reported.

      Acknowledgments

      I wish to express my appreciation and indebtedness to all my friends and colleagues who contributed chapters, sections of chapters, or clinical cases in specific areas in which they are experts. Without them the book would not have been possible.

      I would like to take the opportunity to thank Leif Bakland, Zouheir Salamoun, W. Patrick Naylor, and the dean of my school, Loma Linda University, Charles J. Goodacre, for their counsel and help during the preparation of the manuscript.

      Most importantly, I extend my special thanks to Ms Lisa Bywaters and the staff of Quintessence Publishing for their professionalism and guidance in bringing my book to life.

      I also would like to acknowledge my teachers and mentors who had a great impact on my visions, attitude, and career: Pierre Boudrias, Hideo Yamamoto, Steven M. Morgano, David Baraban (deceased), and Charles J. Goodacre. They remind me of the Lebanese-American poet and writer Gibran Khalil Gibran, who said: “The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”

      I feel blessed, lucky, and proud to have had the chance to know and work with each one of these people in various stages of my professional career.