Evolving Conservative Dentistry
By Dr. George Freedman A mere 20 years ago, 4 th generation adhesives revolutionized restorative dentistry by offering a predictable technique for bonding to both enamel and dentin 1 . Less than 5 years later, advances in ionomer and resin technologies provided clinically successful dentin and enamel replacement. In 2003, the first selective preparation burs that could differentiate healthy and unhealthy dentin were introduced 2 . These were all revolutionary innovations that significantly altered the practice of dentistry. Within a decade, adhesive-resin and composites had displaced amalgam as the mainstream restorative materials. The intervening years have seen the development of improved 5 th and 7 th generation adhesives 3,4 , microhybrid and nanohybrid composites, LED curing lights, soft tissue lasers 5,6,7 , and a host of other adjunct technologies that make dental treatment better, easier, fas...