Principles of tooth

preparation (2)
Mechanical principle
 The design of the prepared tooth should
possess some mechanical features so as to
resist dislodgment of the restoration or even
its fracture during service.

 Mechanical considerations can be divided

into:
A. Providing Retention form.
B. Providing Resistance form.
C. Preventing Deformation of the restoration
(structural Durability).

Mechanical principle
 Path of insertion:

 It is an imaginary line
along which the
restoration will be
placed onto or
removed from the
preparation.

Mechanical principle
 Path of insertion
 Path of insertion:

 Its either:
i) Line of insertion;
single direction
through which the
restoration could be
completely seated.

Mechanical principle
 Path of insertion:

 Or
ii) Range of insertion;
multiple direction
through which the
restoration could be
completely seated.

Mechanical principle
 A. Retention form:

 It is the quality of a
preparation that
prevents the removal
of the restoration along
its path of insertion or
long axis.
 is dependent basically
on two opposing
vertical surfaces in the
same preparation

Mechanical principle
 A. Retention form:

 2 vertical walls

Mechanical principle
 Factors affecting the Retention form:
1) Magnitude of dislodging forces.
2) Geometry of the prepared tooth
 Taper
 Length (surface area).
 Preparation features (groove , pinholes)
3) Roughness of fitting surface of restoration
4) Materials being cemented.
5) Type of luting cement.

Mechanical principle
A) Retention form:
1) Magnitude of
dislodging force

 dependent on the
stickiness of food.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
a- Taper:
 Theoretically speaking,
maximum retention is
obtained if the opposing
walls of a preparation are
parallel.
 Practically, it is impossible
when preparing a tooth
freehand in the mouth to
establish parallel walls
without producing
undercuts.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the prepared
tooth:
a- Taper
 An undercut: it is defined as
the divergence between
opposing axial walls in a
cervico-occlusal direction. i.e
the cervical circumference of
prepared tooth at the margin
is narrower than at the
occluso axial junction.
 N.B. An undercut may be
termed as reverse taper.
 For Extra Coronal Cast
Restorations an Undercut
would prevent it’s seating.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
a- Taper:
 Slight convergence or taper
is necessary when
preparing the tooth

 Too large taper lead to non

retentive preparation.

 Recommended convergence
between opposing walls is 6
degrees.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
a- Taper:
 Significance of the effect of
tapering on retention:
 As long as the preparation
taper is small, this will
effectively restrain the
movement of the restoration
and will have a Limited path
of withdrawal. On the other
hand, as the taper increases
so there is unlimited path of
withdrawal (Freedom of
displacement).

Mechanical principle
Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
b- Length:
Teeth preparations of limited
path of withdrawal (i.e.
slight taper) their
retention is dependent on
the Length of this path, in
other words, on the
surface area of the
contacting sliding
surfaces.

Mechanical principle
A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
b- Length:
Thus Longer preparations
will have more surface
area and will therefore be
more retentive.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the prepared
tooth:
c- Preparation features:
 Statement of the problem:
Clinicians are often faced with
the problem of using the two
opposing walls for retention as
one of these:
i. May have been previously
destroyed.
ii. May be desirable to be
unprepared for partial veneer
restoration.
iii. Or may be of excessive taper.

Mechanical principle
 A) Retention form:
2) Geometry of the
prepared tooth:
c- Preparation features:
 Statement of the problem:
 So retention in such
situations needs to be
enhanced, this could be
achieved by adding grooves,
or pinholes to the
preparation substituting for
the axial wall retentive
action.
 Their effect on retention is
by limiting the paths of
withdrawal, thus increasing
retention.

Mechanical principle
A) Retention form:
3) Roughness of the fitting surface of
restoration:

by air-abrading its fitting surface carefully ( to

avoid margin destruction ) using 50 μm (
micron) alumina particles.

Mechanical principle
A) Retention form:
4) Materials being cemented:

base metal alloys are better retained than gold

content alloys.

Mechanical principle
A) Retention form:
5) Types of Luting
cement:

Adhesive resin cement

increases retention of
restoration

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form
 Definition;
It is the quality of a
preparation that prevents
dislodgement of the
restoration by forces
directed in an oblique or
horizontal direction

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form
 Tipping Path:

It is the path along which the

restoration could be displaced under the
displacing occlusal forces. Tooth structure lying
outside the tipping path will resist displacing
forces

Mechanical principle
 Factors affecting the Resistance form:
1) Magnitude and direction of dislodging
forces.
2) Geometry of the prepared tooth
 Taper
 Length (surface area).
 Preparation features (groove , pinholes)
3) Physical properties of luting cement.

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
1) Magnitude and
direction of forces:

 In Normal Occlusion,
forces are distributed
over all the teeth &
mainly axially directed.
 But in patients with
parafunctional habits
such as Bruxism, the
occlusion forces are too
heavy being obliquely
and laterally directed.

Mechanical principle
B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
a) Taper:

Slight taper should be performed, excessive

taper reduce resistance to displacement

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth
preparation:
b) Length:
Length is very important
to enhance resistance
as it provide enough
tooth structure to
interfere with the arc of
the tipping path
pivoting at the margin
on the opposite side of
the restoration.
Mechanical principle
B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth
preparation:
b) Length:

 The shorter the axial

walls of the
preparation, the more
important its minimal
taper.

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
c)Preparation features:

 Resistance to displacing forces of preparations

of excessive tapering axial walls or short axial
walls is enhanced by placing grooves in the
axial walls.

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
c)Preparation features:
 Types of axial grooves:
a) V-shaped
b) U-shaped
c) Box-shaped
 The U-shaped groove or flared Box provide more
resistance than do the V-shaped ones as the first
two types have definite walls that are
perpendicular to the direction of applied force.
.

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
c)Preparation features:
 Types of axial grooves:

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
c)Preparation features:

 Effect of Grooves on resistance to

displacement:

They interfere with the rotational movement

of the restoration along its tipping path by
reducing the rotational radius thus that
portion of the walls of the grooves near the
occlusal surface of the preparation will
interfere with the displacement

Mechanical principle
 B) Resistance form:
2)Geometry of tooth preparation:
c)Preparation features:
 Effect of Grooves on resistance to
displacement:

Mechanical principle
B) Resistance form:
3) Physical properties of the luting agent:

The type of cement used would play a role in the

resistance to displacing forces.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural
Durability:

 The restoration must

have bulk of material
so as to provide
sufficient strength
capable of withstanding
masticatory forces
without permanent
deformation.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Thus adequate tooth
preparation facilitates
constructing restoration of
sufficient bulk Resulting in
1. Good and harmonious
occlusion.
2. Proper axial Contours thus
preventing periodontal
problems around the
restoration.
3. More durable
restoration.(resisting
deformation).
Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Thus structural Durability
is influenced by:

a) Adequate tooth reduction

 Occlusal.
 Axial.
 Functional cusp bevel.
b) Proper alloy selection

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural
Durability:
 Guidelines for Occlusal
Reduction:
1) The occlusal reduction
should be evenly
reduced following the
anatomic occlusal
features i.e. cusp tips,
cusp slopes, fissures
and grooves.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural
Durability:
 Guidelines for Occlusal
Reduction:

2) The amount of reduction

should be sufficient to
provide bulk to
restoration without
interfering with occlusion.
It varies according to the
material used ranging
from 1mm, to 1.5 and 2
mm.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural
Durability:
 Guidelines for Occlusal
Reduction:

3) Avoid flattening of the

occlusal surface as it
results in shortening
the preparation stump,
as well it might
endanger the pulp.

Mechanical principle
 D) Structural
Durability:
 Guidelines for Occlusal
Reduction:

4) Inadequate reduction
of the grooves results
in lack of space to
allow good functional
morphology and the
restoration will be
much more easily
perforated by finishing
procedures or by wear
in the mouth.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Functional Cusps Bevel:
 Functional cusps are those cusps
which supports the power of
occlusion.
 They are:
a. Palatal Maxillary cusps.
b. Buccal Mandibular cusps.
 Thus it is important during the
occlusal reduction to Bevel the
functional cusps to
provide space for an adequate
bulk of metal in that area of
heavy occlusal contact.
Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Functional Cusps Bevel:

Lack of Occlusal Bevel results

in:
1. Thin metal area or
perforation
2. Over-contouring and
occlusal prematurity

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural
Durability:
 Axial Tooth
Reduction:
 Axial reduction should
be
1. Adequate.
2. uniform following the
contours of the tooth.
3. Of slight convergency
(taper).

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Axial reduction may be:
i) Over reduced
 This might endanger the pulp and violates the
biologic considerations as well as the mechanical
considerations

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Axial reduction may be:
ii) Under reduced
a) Result in Restoration with normal contour but
due to lack of space, restoration will have thin
walls thus liable to distortion.

Mechanical principle
 C) Structural Durability:
 Axial reduction may be:
ii) Under reduced
b)Result in Restoration with bulging contour due
to the lack of space, attempts to compensate for
this by over contouring for attaining good
strength properties which lead to bad effects on
the periodontium.

Mechanical principle