From Volume 41, Issue 6, July 2014 | Pages 514-516
This case report illustrates the use of hemisection to minimize the distal extension span. The LR6 was the only molar next to a distal extension of the lower Kennedy's Class II ridge. Its unrestorable distal root was removed and its mesial portion was retained to serve as an effective antagonist and abutment tooth and lessen the extent of right distal extension.
A distal extension removable prosthesis used for the rehabilitation of Kennedy's Class I and II ridges is associated with unfavourable leverage forces. The longer the edentulous span of distal extension, the greater will be force transmitted to the abutment teeth. Therefore, preservation of strategic terminal abutment teeth may be beneficial. In some situations, preserving a part of such a tooth may lessen the extent of distal extension span.
Hemisection is defined as ‘the division of a tooth in half and the removal of the unwanted, diseased portion, together with its root or roots’. It can be considered as a valid treatment since it follows the basic philosophy of conservative dentistry which is to aim to retain as much of the natural dentition as possible.1
Hemisection should be considered when the furcation of the molars is the result of either periodontal or non-periodontal problems like vertical root fracture. Further, it may be a valuable form of treatment when there is an extensive carious lesion extending subgingivally in one area of the root, making it impossible to place an adequate restoration in that area and making that root unrestorable.2
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