Modern Composites: Versatile, minimal invasive, esthetic and durable. How to get the most of them.

If you will need a restoration in your mouth, which characteristics should fulfill a material?

Try to answer this question honestly:

If you will need a restoration in your mouth, which characteristics should fulfill a material?

I am sure your answer will be straight away: Simple, minimal invasive, aesthetic and durable.

In the posterior region, we can summarize the state of the art as what I call “the combined Bulk Fill technique”, which means the combination of a flowable bulk fill composite and a mouldable composite. Traditionally, flowable bulk fill composites are very translucent and make the esthetic integration difficult, especially for bigger cavities. Newly developed materials like Tetric N-Flow bulk fill represent a major advantage to the older materials since the change of opacity after curing make the material close dentin in opacity. Probably the use of the universal bondings and the understanding in focusing on adaptation instead of layering close the topic.

In the anterior region, the difference of the value vs A-D systems probably is the first that clinicians need to understand. Once this is done, the correct use of dentin, universal and enamel shades need to be mastered. Tetric N-Ceram is one of the examples of a very efficient and versatile system for most of the indications. The wide range of colors, but at the same time simple philosophy, make it very easy to use. Finally, the clinician should focus on mastering the form, texture and emergence profile of natural teeth.