Publication:

Over-reduction in tooth preparation

The treatment of carious lesions is the primary objective of tooth preparation and carious tissue excision. All carious lesions were previously treated invasively, or with cutting or drilling, and restoratively, or with the installation of restorative material following preparation and the elimination of carious lesion. Over-reduction simplifies laboratory work and provides for the best aesthetics and durability of the restoration, however there are clear drawbacks, including injury to the dental pulp and lessens retaining abilities and remaining resilience of the tooth. It is crucial to select the most practical entry route, which might be the labial, lingual, or purely proximal technique, in the event that a caries disease is situated on the proximal surface without compromising the enamel on the labial or lingual sides. It is not mandatory to expand the tooth preparation towards to the occlusal grooves when the disease is contained to the proximal surface since doing so will needlessly damage the tooth and make it more brittle. Whenever it is feasible, the proximal approach should be used since this encourages the maximal conservation of the quality remnant tooth structure. The decayed tissue must be eliminated while retaining the greatest amount of the natural tooth structure left upon obtaining entry to the area. The only tooth preparation required is the minimally invasive excision of carious tissue.