INTRODUCTION
More and more people are demanding reliable, functional, and aesthetic alternatives to conventional crown and bridge dentistry. As the population is aging, people are seeking out treatment to improve their teeth and still conserve their natural, healthy tooth structure.1 According to Dr. Ross Nash, “Laboratory-processed composite resin may be a viable option for the patient who desires an aesthetic alternative to gold. While ceramics can provide many of the same benefits, composite resin has some advantages, including ease of adjustment and repair, resilience for comfort and shock absorption, less chance for differential wear at the luting agent-restoration interface, and no wear of opposing structures in functional contact.”2

Unfortunately, 2-appointment procedures for crowns are inconvenient, uncomfortable, and expensive. Furthermore, more preparation may be required for additional mechanical retention of temporary restorations, defeating the purpose of trying to save the most tooth structure. So, what are our options—direct resins, indirect resins, and porcelain crowns? Crowns, we all know, will require the removal of even more tooth structure, 2 appointments, and provisional crowns.

Let’s think like our patients. Our patients want to replace old, ugly, and failing restorations, but they want to do it consistently, efficiently, and predictably—and they would prefer to do it in one appointment. Direct fillings can be done in one appointment, but when wide, deep, and/or interproximal surfaces are involved, they can prove difficult, time-consuming, and inadequate.

Adhesive dentistry offers a more conservative restorative approach to patient care. Why take away healthy tooth structure? Why not attempt to save the good and just replace the bad? A laboratory-fabricated composite resin system is a valuable and worthwhile option to preserve both tooth structure and long-term dental health. After all, preserving natural tooth structure is always in the best interest of the patient, whenever possible. This article will demonstrate a conservative and biomimetic approach to restorative care.