Long-term success rate of resin-bonded metal crowns on the canine teeth of working dogs.

In this clinical study, 19 full metal crown restorations of canine teeth were placed in seven working dogs. Thirteen canine teeth were severely abraded with no involvement of the pulp cavities; six fractured canine teeth were endodontically treated. At least 1/3 of the coronal part of the canine tooth was available for a supragingivally performed, minimal tooth crown preparation. An adhesive technique to bond the electrolytically etched crown (an alloy of cobalt-chrome-molybdenum) to the tooth was used. The metal crowns, slightly shorter and with a rounder tip than the original tooth, were bounded to the enamel and dentine by using a resin luting cement. Posts or post-and-core techniques were not used. Mean follow-up period was 32 months (range 24-52 months), at which stage 17 crowns were found to be intact and functional. Two crowns were lost as a result of trauma resulting in a fracture of the tooth below the crown.