Modern advances in all phases of dentistry have provided the opportunity for patients to maintain a functional dentition for lifetime. Therapeutic measures performed to ensure retention of teeth vary in complexity. The treatment may involve combining restorative dentistry, endodontics, and periodontics so that the teeth are retained in whole or in part. Thus, tooth resection procedures are used to preserve as much tooth structure as possible rather than sacrificing the whole tooth. This treatment can produce predictable results as long as proper diagnostic, endodontic, surgical, prosthetic, and maintenance procedures are performed. The keys to long-term success appear to be thorough diagnosis, selection of patients with good oral hygiene and careful surgical and restorative management.