The Assessment and Minimally Invasive Management of Existing Restorations

Abstract

This article provides an overview of current knowledge and understanding of existing criteria for the assessment of dental restorations and encourages dental practitioners to shift, if not already doing so, to considering minimally invasive interventions for manging deteriorating restorations. The repair of restorations in such a way extends longevity of the restoration without sacrificing intact, healthy tooth tissue, and is in the best interest of patients in terms of biological and economic costs. The replacement of a restoration should be only considered as a last resort, when there are no other viable alternatives. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Standardised assessment of dental restorations, using established criteria for clinical judgement and decision-making, is particularly important when managing deteriorating restorations in clinical practice. Minimally invasive management of such restorations, in terms of restoration repair strategies, should be viewed as a safe, viable and effective alternative to other more invasive treatments. The reader should understand the clinical evaluation of dental restorations based on reported standardised parameters and appreciate the benefits of minimally invasive management of deteriorating, yet serviceable, dental restorations in clinical practice.