Restoration of Non-carious Cervical Lesions: A Brief Review for Clinicians

Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) become common in individuals over the age of 40 and are progressive. Those that are wedge-shaped in cross-section likely develop hazardous stress concentrations along their sharp axial extent, which can be distributed to lower, safer levels over a larger area via adhesive restoration. Restoration is indicated once a lesion progresses to a minimum restorable axial depth of at least 1.5 mm at the deepest extent, which threatens the strength of the tooth, especially a single-rooted tooth. Restorations with a glass ionomer or resin composite employing an adhesive system that is total-etch or is a self-etching primer combined with selective enamel etching are equally effective. Consequently, the restorative material can be selected based on isolation or esthetic factors.