The same patient has a premolar that clinically looks like only a root remnant (broken-down crown), but the radiograph shows an intact root with adequate surrounding bone. What is the most appropriate treatment?

Correct answer: C. Root canal treatment, build-up (core), post, and crown

• A. Placing a post requires endodontic treatment first; you cannot post into a vital/untreated canal.
• B. Extracting a tooth with a sound root and good bone discards a restorable tooth unnecessarily.
• C. Correct. The root and bone are sound, so the tooth is restorable. With little/no coronal structure you need RCT, a post for retention, a core build-up, and then a crown — the classic sequence to restore a badly broken-down but radiographically healthy tooth.
• D. A crown alone is impossible when there is essentially no coronal tooth structure to support it.