have been heavily restored with amalgam, composite resin, or
glass ionomer restorative materials can have minimal coronal
tooth structure. These restorative materials provide no extracoronal
support for the tooth, and the fillings can fall out
during occlusal function, leaving little or no clinical crown
remaining. External trauma can cause the clinical crown to
fracture, sometimes shearing off to the free gingival margin.
Creating an access cavity on a tooth with little or no clinical
crown might seem to be a simple procedure. In young teeth,
traumatic fractures often expose the pulp chamber, making
preparation easy. However, in older teeth that have had caries
or large restorations, the pulp chambers typically have receded