Patent ID: 7726971

Claim:
A plurality of single-piece dental posts comprising: each of said plurality of single-piece dental posts comprising a composite material comprising unidirectional and continuous long fibers embedded in a resin matrix containing at least one thermochromic substance, said composite material defining said single-piece post having a generally cylindrical upper portion and a generally tapering lower portion, each of said plurality of single-piece dental posts comprising a different diameter characteristic, each of said plurality of single-piece dental posts comprising a quantity of the at least one thermochromic substance added to the resin matrix that is sufficient to give each of said plurality of dental posts a specific different color at ambient temperature and which specific different colors correspond to one of said different diameter characteristics of said plurality of dental posts, and so that each of said dental post loses the specific different color when said dental post is inserted into a tooth's root canal, and wherein each of said plurality of dental posts comprising said long fibers, said at least one thermochromic substance, and said resin matrix being sufficiently transparent so that after insertion of said post into the tooth's root canal said post allows transmission of visible radiation through said post when lit with a dental lamp to ensure the polymerization of a product to permit setting of said post in the tooth's root canal.