The novel use of extracted teeth as a dental restorative material - the 'Natural Inlay'

Objective: This preliminary study aimed to find out whether it is possible to produce a well fitting Class II inlay from an extracted tooth using a copy-milling technique. Methods: Two pairs of matching sound extracted permanent molar teeth were used. The molars were matched for mesio-distal size of the tooth crown and the convexity of the approximal surfaces. One tooth of each pair was assigned to be the 'donor' tooth, the other tooth being the 'host'. MO inlay preparations were made in the host teeth. These were restored with the milled 'Natural Inlays' produced from the donor teeth using the CELAY system. The restored host teeth were sliced and examined using light-microscopy. Results: The specimens showed the desired location of enamel and dentine, and a clinically acceptable fit. Conclusion: This study has shown that by using the CELAY milling machine it is possible to 'recycle' extracted teeth for the production of dental restorations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.