Overview: Scanners require full margin visibility to produce accurate restorations. This guide identifies which margin preparation styles are most effective for digital dentistry workflows.
Margin Types for Digital Dentistry
Intra-oral scanners capture anatomical details at a micron level. To reduce refabrication rates, clinicians must use preparation styles that prioritize margin visibility.
Shoulder Preparations
Shoulder preparations are the best option for digital dentistry. A shoulder preparation ensures the margin is clearly visible on the digital scan. This visibility allows the final restoration to match the finish line perfectly.
Chamfer Preparations
Chamfer preparations are acceptable for digital scans. While chamfer preparations are similar to shoulder styles, chamfer preparations can limit the space available for adequate material thickness in the marginal region.
Shoulder Bevel Preparations
Shoulder bevel preparations are less than ideal but remain acceptable. These preparations have a higher rate of open or shy margins because the shape increases the margin for error when flushing the restoration to the preparation.
Knife and Feather Edge Preparations
Knife-edge and feather-edge preparations are not suitable for digital dentistry. These preparation styles limit the space required to create adequate material thickness at the marginal region, often leading to scan inaccuracies.