Description

The minimally invasive approach of treating dental caries incorporates the science of detecting, diagnosing, intercepting and treating dental caries on microscopic level. This approach to treating dental caries includes many non surgical modalities with the aim objective to preserve the natural teeth by deferring surgical intervention when possible. If the initial restoration was created using minimally invasive procedure there should be more tooth structure to work with at the time that a second restoration may be needed. Minimal intervention approach starts with diagnosis and risk assessment of the disease in order to allow proper treatment decision. Different techniques for management of initial carious lesion include non inventive management and operative care. Advancements in management of caries has started a trend towards the conversation of tooth structure and also bonding techniques which provide an alternative to mechanical retention.