Conservative Dentistry is the branch of Dentistry dealing with prevention, diagnosis, treatment plan and rehabilitation of the pathological conditions involving dental hard tissues (enamel, dentin, cementum), such as decay, mechanical abrasions (due to wrong toothbrushing), chemical erosions (acid action) and dental wear (parafunctions, bruxism, clenching, grinding). The treatment is performed removing decayed or damaged tissues and filling up the cavities with obturation materials (composite resins, glass-ionomer cements).
If such cavities present with very wide dimensions, it is possible to produce indirect adhesive rerstorations (inlays, onlays) in the dental technician laboratory. In case of non-vital teeth, the modern adhesive techniques allow to use quartz or glass fiber posts luted inside the root canals to increase the retention of the restorations. Moreover, Conservative Dentistry deals with dental sealing, namely the preventive obturation of occlusal pits and fissures of the teeth mainly involved by chewing (premolars, molars) by means of flowable resin sealants, particularly in children and young patients.
