A preliminary consideration of the glass-ceramic dowel post and core.

Both cast ceramic and metal post and cores were made for endodontically treated extracted teeth and restored with ceramic restorations. The ceramic posts did not change the translucency or color of the natural tooth, in contrast to the metal posts, which altered both. A clinical study followed, with eight restorations placed for a mean period of service of 11.3 months. One ceramic post failed early following cementation. This preliminary report indicates that ceramic posts and cores offer excellent esthetic results and may be strong enough for clinical use under normal conditions.