The 3Ms of restoration success: marginal interface, magnitude of occlusal force, mindfulness of the patient…AND the clinician

Restoration provision, at the basic level, is the management of missing tooth tissue to reinstate form and function to a standard that is predictable, while designing features that will mitigate against failure. Realizing the future, or indeed inevitable, need for the management of ‘failure’ is an integral piece of the ‘restorative jigsaw’ for the clinician to consider. Different pieces illustrate different aspects, all of which contribute in different ways. The avenues for failure are multiple, although they can be distilled into three aspects (Figure 1).

Mitigating these pathways may result in a more successful restoration, or one that is less likely to fail or deteriorate prematurely.

The marginal interface is a weak point for failure of restorations. This can manifest in a variety of different ways and may be the measure of a clinician's abilities in achieving optimal outcomes. The interface between restoration and the tooth is the barrier protecting the weak point of the tooth from biofilm ingress.