Dental Hard Tissues and Bonding

Book excerpt: This book comprehensively reviews bonding to enamel, dentin and cementum and analyses relevant adhesion mechanisms. It is addressed to both the dental researcher and the clinician. Emphasis is placed on the characterization of material interfaces with dental tissues in situ. The volume also stresses the importance of appropriate experimental protocol design in facilitating clinically-relevant research methods, clarifies the mechanisms of adhesion of polymeric materials to hard dental tissues and furnishes a handy reference for routine clinical procedures in restorative and prosthetic dentistry as well as orthodontics. The book introduces important aspects of the chemistry of dental materials and their adaptation to dental hard tissues. It also analyses interfacial phenomena occurring during application of materials, including mechanical properties, and structural-compositional alterations. The text presents the current instrumental approaches in studying related issues and a summary of the current status of theories concerning bonding to dental tissues. This work, in its scope and scientific content, provides an in-depth view of the way in which aesthetic dentistry is currently being practiced.