Treatment decisions and conservation of tooth structure.

New technology is becoming available to help establish an early diagnosis of incipient and hidden pit and fissure caries, and microdentistry techniques are being developed to follow the principles of minimal intervention. Following the accurate diagnosis of suspected lesions, early intervention can be in the form of chemotherapeutics to promote remineralization or conservative intervention to minimize tooth structure loss. Patient risk factors should have a role in developing and individualized treatment program. The life cycle of a restored molar is used in this article to illustrate the long-term value of early diagnosis, preventive therapy, and conservative intervention to preserve tooth structure and to extend the retention of healthy teeth.