Minimally invasive dentistry (MID) has been gaining in popularity since the 1990s, and is becoming the dominant concept of dental treatment with particular emphasis on procedures in the field of conservative dentistry, and increasingly in prosthodontics. In order to interfere as little as possible in the patient’s own tissues, clinicians dealing with restoration of qualitative tooth defects take advantage of the progress made in the field of materials, as well as devices used in dental offices. The concept of air abrasion in dentistry, although known since the 1940s, is well suited to the assumptions of MID. However, the use of air abrasion, due to the limitations of filling materials, has for many years been regarded as secondary, and even as one adversely affecting the outcome of restorative treatment. Thanks to the discovery of adhesion, utilizing the chemical and micromechanical bonding of the composite material with enamel and dentine, the retentive shape of cavity preparation was no longer necessary, and the conservative preparation of tooth tissues has become a new standard of management. Although the use of drills is still the most frequently chosen option, the technique of air-abrasion is gaining a growing number of supporters due to its beneficial effect on the micro- and macrostructure of the prepared tissues, and the positive opinions of patients about this method. Using the key words: “air abrasion”, “sandblasting”, “kinetic preparation” and “air polishing” and their Polish translations, the library database of the Medical University of Warsaw was searched through the intranet portal and medical databases: PubMed/Medline, EBSCOhost, PBL, ProQuest, ScienceDirect only for full-text publications without setting the publication period filter. Only papers and books most relevant to the assumed subject of work have been used in the review.