OBJECTIVE: The Biologically Oriented Preparation Technique (BOPT) uses vertical tooth preparation without a defined finish line, guided by provisional restorations to shape the gingival emergence profile. Subgingival crown margins inherent to BOPT increase the risk of residual cement and soft-tissue trauma during adhesive cementation. This article presents the Spot-Dam Technique (SDT), a continuous or staged isolation protocol designed to enhance visibility, facilitate excess cement removal, and protect peri-gingival tissues in BOPT restorations. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS: SDT employs localized rubber dam fragments stabilized with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape during water-airborne-particle abrasion (WAPA) of dentin, followed by sulcular isolation during crown seating. Zirconia crowns were conditioned with air-particle abrasion, and self-adhesive resin cement was applied. Excess cement was removed at the gel stage to minimize soft-tissue trauma. The protocol integrates soft-tissue protection, dentin pretreatment, restoration surface conditioning, and controlled cement removal to optimize adhesion and margin integrity in subgingival restorations. CONCLUSIONS: The SDT provides a reproducible workflow for adhesive cementation of BOPT crowns. Isolation with rubber dam and PTFE tape protects peri-gingival tissues, facilitates complete cement removal, and preserves seating accuracy, supporting biological stability and prosthetic predictability in vertically prepared teeth. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Subgingival crown margins inherent to the BOPT increase the risk of sulcular cement retention and soft-tissue trauma during definitive cementation. The isolation strategy described in the current manuscript combines sulcular displacement and contamination control to improve visibility, facilitate cement removal, and protect peri-gingival tissues during adhesive cementation of indirect restorations to vertically prepared teeth.
Liaropoulou et al. (Mon,) studied this question.