Rethinking the traditional full-mouth rehabilitation by applying minimal prosthetic dentistry for maximum patient benefit
Cone, M.R.
General Dentistry 64(6): 46-53
2016
ISSN/ISBN: 0363-6771 PMID: 27814255 Document Number: 688618
The field of dentistry is an ever-evolving discipline. A marked rise in the use of endosseous implants, adhesive ceramic bonding, and composite resins, as well as continued patient desire for minimally invasive procedures, has created a new conservative era in the practices of many restorative dentists. These trends, coupled with the significant financial impact associated with the reconstruction of failing, worn, and esthetically compromised dentitions, have facilitated a paradigm shift in the way that individual patient cases are being treatment planned today. Applying restraint to conventional practices involving the unnecessary gross removal of hard tooth structure is both a skill that needs to be cultivated as well as an evident obligation to the patient. A case report demonstrates the utilization of multiple restorative materials to provide a minimally invasive definitive treatment that was biomechanically, esthetically, and financially satisfactory for the patient.