Essence of Preserving Tooth Structure for Indirect Restorations

Full coverage crowns are the most prevalent indirect restorative procedure, however there is growing interest and demand for more conservative restorations to satisfy the functional and esthetic demands of the patient. Patients are seeking restorative treatment that preserves, rather than sacrifices, tooth structure to maintain their dentition. Chairside CAD/CAM technology offers the opportunity to efficiently fabricate and adhesively deliver esthetic ceramic partial coverage restorations avoiding the problem of how to temporize nonretentive tooth preparations. This course will outline the clinical guidelines for selecting a tooth conservation approach and review the optimal technical details of tooth preparation.   

Learning Objectives:  

Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to: 

Identify the clinical parameters for adhesive partial coverage ceramic restorations. 

Identify the key elements for optimum tooth preparation for the adhesive ceramic partial coverage restorations 

Compare the failure mechanisms and longevity of crowns vs. adhesive ceramic partial coverage restorations