Materials & Techniques (6 CEs)

Course Description:

Materials and Techniques to Improve Your Conservative, Adhesive Dentistry (6 CEs) Our goal as dental professionals should be to maximize the lifetime of our patients’ dentition. Every time tooth structure must be removed with a handpiece, the lifetime of that tooth is reduced. Conservative dentistry aims to remove as little tooth as possible during restorative procedures in order to better extend the lifetime of each tooth. Adhesive dentistry helps us achieve this goal. Adhesive dentistry allows us to bond to tooth structure such that minimally invasive preparations may be performed. The goal of this course is to discuss conservative treatment options as well as the materials and techniques used to perform these treatments. For direct restorations, diagnosis, isolation, caries removal, cavity preparation, use of liner, matrix and wedge placement, bonding technique, composite placement, and finishing and polishing will all be reviewed. For indirect restorations, this course will discuss how to select, handle and bond contemporary dental ceramic materials. The presentation will be based on current evidence collected at the UAB School of Dentistry as well as the current literature, however, the information will focus on tips that can be applied directly in the dental clinic. Course objectives - Learn preparation guidelines for ceramic onlays & zirconia resin bonded bridges - Learn bonding protocols for lithium disilicate onlays and crowns & bonding zirconia resin bonded bridge - Review different types of ceramic materials used for full coverage crowns - Learn cementation and bonding protocols for zirconia crowns with self-adhesive or RMGI cements - Discuss design considerations with posterior and anterior bridges - Discuss material-related esthetic concerns with anterior crowns (implant and natural tooth) - Learn the best burs for removing ceramic crowns and performing endodontic access through crowns - Discuss the thresholds for operative treatment for incipient carious lesions - Discuss the concept of selective caries removal - Learn the contemporary materials for direct pulp capping - Discuss tooth preparation considerations for adhesively bonded composites - Review the research on the best adhesive system to use for direct composites - Review the important steps for direct bonding - Learn new materials and techniques for Class II matrix systems - Review research about materials for posterior composites with a focus on bulk-fill and