Many factors influence whether teeth planned for crowns or fixed prosthesis abutments need to be built up. Teeth may now be treated more conservatively with minimal fillers because of the greater strength of current cements, including hybrid ionomers and resins. Teeth planned as fixed prosthesis abutments require more remaining tooth structure and greater buildup strength than those designed for single full crowns. It appears that crown buildup is still necessary, but this procedure is needed less frequently than it was in previous years. Fillers can be used to fill holes left when previous restorations were removed, and are more commonly placed than buildups.
