[Repair and revision 2. Repair or replacement of composite]

Nowadays adhesive techniques enable the dentist to preserve sound tooth tissue as only decay has to be removed when a carious lesion has to be restored. Also, when an existing composite resin restoration shows a defect, a total replacement is not always necessary and a repair can be made. Specific techniques for repairing old composite resin restorations are etching with hydrofluoridic acid, sandblasting and application of a silane solution. The decision between repair or replacement is made based on the quality of the existing restoration, the needed repair strength, the biological price of a total replacement and the skills of the operator. Some case reports are added as illustrations.