Endodontics · patient case question
What is the management?
Patient case: J-shaped radiolucency
Scenario: A tooth with a J-SHAPED (halo) radiolucency.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Extraction
- A. Retreatment does not repair a fracture; the bacterial pathway along the fracture line remains.
- B. Apicoectomy manages persistent APICAL pathology after failed endodontics; it does not address a fracture running the length of the root.
- C. Occlusal adjustment may reduce load but cannot resolve an existing complete fracture.
- D. Correct. A true vertical root fracture in a single-rooted tooth has a HOPELESS prognosis — the fracture communicates the canal with the periodontium and cannot be sealed. Extraction is the treatment. In a multi-rooted tooth, root amputation or hemisection of the fractured root is an alternative to extracting the entire tooth.