Minimally Invasive Dentistry Practice Test

In minimally invasive dentistry, the aim is to preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible, so the shapes used are designed to be conservative. A full crown requires substantial reduction of both enamel and dentin all around the tooth to fit the crown, which means removing a lot of sound tooth structure. That makes it non-conservative. The other shapes fit the MIS mindset. A tunnel prep lets you access and remove decay from beneath a tooth surface while keeping the cusps and marginal ridges largely intact, preserving strength. A slot or box prep provides access for proximal decay with minimal removal while maintaining much of the tooth’s structure. PRR, short for Preventive Resin Restoration (or partial caries removal and restoration), uses a resin restoration to seal and restore small lesions, again preserving more tooth structure than a full crown would. So the option that isn’t listed as a conservative prep shape is the full crown.