The dental profession continues to witness a steady stream of progress when it comes to advances in direct and indirect dental materials and their associated techniques. Clinicians and patients are benefiting from a plethora of innovations, new product introductions, and restorative techniques that are the fruits of the tireless efforts of research and material scientists, manufacturer-based product developers, and dedicated leading clinicians who can often be found supporting/consulting the manufacturers behind the scenes. For example, in the past 28-plus years, there has been a real focus on the creation, development, and introduction of revolutionary all-ceramic materials; first with the introduction of reinforced glassy ceramics and, in very recent years, with the creation and introduction of high-strength monolithic polycrystalline materials.
Another arena of change in recent years has been observed in the steady evolution of direct composite resin materials that (when indicated) offer minimally invasive alternatives to all-ceramics. Overall, we can observe undeniable progress in the choices/types of quality composite resin materials and adhesives now available; bioactive cements; versatile and strong provisional materials with direct or indirect fabrication options; the introduction of high-tech and minimally invasive endodontic techniques; and, in the arena of implant dentistry, the clinician’s ability to restore implants in the aesthetic zone with increasing success and in a way that often mimics nature’s own beauty. In briefly identifying but a few of the changing dental material arenas that are directly and profoundly affecting restorative dentistry, we soon realize that dentists are working in an extremely dynamic profession.
This month, we have an excellent lineup of authors presenting clinical case reports that are somehow related to the practice of restorative dentistry. For our peer-reviewed CE article in this issue, available for 2 FAGD/MAGD CEUs, we have Dr. Ahmad Soolari and Mr. Amin Soolari discussing the diagnosis and treatment protocol for a patient who presented with serious and multiple systemic health problems, adding to the challenges for the delivery of proper care.
Please enjoy this exciting issue of Dentistry Today!
Related Articles
Restraint: The Lost Art of Endodontics
Predictable Direct Composite Resin Veneers: A Template System Makes It Easier!
Full-Arch Implant-Retained Zirconia Prostheses: Balancing Technology and Human Touch
Cosmetic Dentistry in Today’s Selfie Culture: Conservative Treatment for an Adolescent
Smile Enhancement in a Snap! A Cost-Effective, Functional, and Aesthetic Solution
Rapid Healing of a Large Periapical Premolar Lesion
