Any disturbance in the primary tooth can lead to an altered eruption pattern of the corresponding permanent tooth. This article presents a case of a carious permanent second premolar with an immature root that erupted prematurely following extraction of the infected primary second molar. The carious premolar was treated with a stepwise excavation, and a primary stainless steel crown was adapted to prevent microleakage and restoration failure. A follow-up evaluation at 4 years showed remarkable healing and complete root formation. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report in the literature that describes successful conservative management of a rootless premolar treated by pulp capping and restored with a primary stainless steel crown.
Keywords: maturogenesis; premature eruption; pulp capping; root formation.