Compomers, reattachment method expand restoration capabilities

The purpose of this article is to review one new material and one new technique being used in restorative dentistry today. Compomers, new fluoride-releasing resin restorative materials, are compared to conventional glass ionomers in terms of classification, physical properties, and clinical usage. Compomers are not true glass ionomer materials since the acid/base setting reaction, charactheristic of conventional glass ionomers, does not occur. As a consequence, their physical properties of translucency, coefficient of thermal expansion, and strength more closely resemble composite resins than conventional glass ionomers. These differences in physical properties have clinical implications in their usage. In terms of new techniques, clinical and laboratory data now exist to support the method of reattachment of fractured tooth fragments using only dentin bonding agents, in cases where the tooth fragment is available. This method can restore up to 50 percent of the original strength of intact teeth. The technique advocates the use of acid etching and enamel and dentin bonding, without any tooth preparation. In vitro studies have achieved total (100 percent) restoration of intact teeth by bonding a porcelain veneer to the tooth after the reattachment.