Minimally invasive operative techniques using high tech dentistry

Summary General conservative dentistry is failing toaddress the causes of the frequent failure ofour dental restorations. This ‘Repeat -Restoration’ cycle occurs, because generaldentists are not trained to diagnose and treatdental caries as a disease, to the detriment ofour patients’ oral health. Modern dentistryneeds to take a biological approach to themanagement of dental caries, where theemphasis must be on diagnosing the oralecological balance and effecting biologicalchange in the oral biofilm.By altering dietary and lifestyle patternsand through the use of new diagnostic testsfor plaque and saliva, we can monitor patientcompliance and modify the disease risk.New products such as CPP-ACP(Recaldent ® ) can provide biologically avail-able calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions toenhance tooth remineralization and with theuse of sodium bicarbonate rinses (pH eleva-tion) and biocides, we can favorably alter thepathogenicity of the biofilm. New materialsand techniques in prevention and repair oftooth damage involve the use of biomimeticrestorative materials to heal dentine cariesand through the use of new technologiessuch as ozone or photo-activated disinfec-tion (PAD), we can disinfect carious cavitiesand encourage remineralization.