Overview: This guide identifies the best dental prep styles to ensure full margin visibility for high-accuracy digital restorations and reduced refabrication rates.
Margin Visibility for Accurate Digital Scans
Digital scanners require a clear line of sight to capture the finish line of a preparation. Unlike PVS impressions, which can physically retract tissue, digital scans rely entirely on full margin visibility to ensure the restoration matches the preparation perfectly.
Recommended Margin Prep Styles
Choosing the correct preparation style directly impacts the accuracy of the final restoration and the likelihood of successful fit.
Shoulder Prep
Shoulder preparations are the most recommended style for digital dentistry. A shoulder prep ensures the margin is clearly visible on the scan, which allows the digital restoration to match the finish line with high precision.
Chamfer Prep
Chamfer preparations are acceptable for digital scans. However, chamfer preparations may limit the vertical space required to create adequate restorative material thickness at the marginal region.
Alternative and Unsuitable Prep Styles
Some prep styles increase the margin of error or fail to provide enough data for a digital scanner to process accurately.
Shoulder Bevel Prep
Shoulder bevel preparations are acceptable but less than ideal. The shape of a shoulder bevel prep increases the risk of open or shy margins because the scanner may struggle to identify a flush finish line between the restoration and the tooth.
Knife or Feather-Edge Prep
Knife-edge and feather-edge preparations are not suitable for digital scans. These preparation styles do not provide enough physical space to create the necessary material thickness at the marginal region for a durable restoration.
Related Information
Download: Margin Type PDF Guide
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