Finite element analysis of devitalized teeth

Abstract

Elimination of a large part of dental tissues during root canal treatment affects the mechanical behavior of devitalized teeth. The present study addresses how much dentin removal affects changes in mechanical behaviors of the intact tooth and tooth with root canal treatment. In order to estimate the tooth weakening, we performed aн experimental assessment of critical force and numerical Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis with the intention to analyze stresses distributions. The results showed that root canal treatment had significant influence on stress distributions. By analysis of retrieved results, it is concluded that this study is an efficient framework which could be applied in a number of different cases, so that practitioners could analyze and prepare the treatment with more certainty.