Adhesive dentistry has been taught in dental schools for decades and is widely used by dentists today. Bonding to a tooth offers increased adaptability of restorations, allowing for more minimally invasive treatment and preparation, but long-term success with adhesive dentistry is not a guarantee.

Dr. David Alleman repeatedly saw failing composite restorations and realized that in order to improve restorative outcomes, posterior teeth needed more advanced protocols than anterior teeth. Subjected to higher forces of occlusion and with deeper restored defects, understanding polymerization dynamics is essential to a long-lasting adhesive posterior restoration. His research of these principles served as the basis for him developing his Six Lessons Approach to Biomimetic Restorative Dentistry.

Article referenced in this episode
Gibbs CH, Mahan PE, Mauderli A, Lundeen HC, Walsh EK. Limits of human bite strength. J Prosthet Dent 1986;56-226-229

Larson TD, Douglas WH, Geistfeld RE. Effect of prepared cavities on the strength of teeth. Oper Dent. 1981(6)2-5.

Nikaido T. Evaluation of thermal cycling and mechanical loading on bond strength of self-etching primer system to dentin. Dent. Mater. 2002;18 269-275.

Learn more about Dr. Alleman's work and training programs at allemancenter.com.