Adhesive dentistry is a branch of dentistry which deals with adhesion or bonding to the natural substance of teeth, enamel and

dentin Dentin () (American English) or dentine ( or ) (British English) ( la, substantia eburnea) is a calcified tissue of the body and, along with enamel, cementum, and pulp, is one of the four major components of teeth. It is usually covered by ena ...

. It studies the nature and strength of adhesion to dental hard tissues, properties of adhesive materials, causes and mechanisms of failure of the bonds, clinical techniques for bonding and newer applications for bonding such as bonding to the soft tissue. There is also direct composite bonding which uses tooth-colored direct dental composites to repair various tooth damages such as cracks or gaps. Dental bonding is a dental procedure in which a dentist applies a tooth-colored

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

material (a durable

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

material) and cures it with visible, blue light. This ultimately "bonds" the material to the tooth and improves the overall appearance of teeth. Tooth bonding techniques have various clinical applications including operative dentistry and preventive dentistry as well as

cosmetic Cosmetic may refer to: *Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning *Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body *Cosmetic, a t ...

and

pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics in American English or paedodontics in Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the Ameri ...

prosthodontics Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surge ...

, and

orthodontics Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...

History

Adhesive dentistry began in 1955 with a paper by Dr. Michael Buonocore on the benefits of acid etching. Technologies have changed multiple times since then, with generally recognized generations established in the literature. Dental bonding agents have evolved from no-etch to total-etch (4th- and 5th-generation) to self-etch (6th- and 7th-generation) systems. improved convenience and reduced sensitivity to operator errors. However, the best bonding and longevity was achieved with 4th generation agents (having separate etch, prime, and bond steps). Dental bonding agents

Irwin Smigel Irwin Elliot Smigel (October 9, 1924 – October 17, 2016) was an American aesthetic dentist, innovator and philanthropist. Smigel founded the American Society for Dental Aesthetics (ASDA), and was President of the ASDA until his death in 2016. S ...

founder and current president of the

American Society for Dental Aesthetics The American Society for Dental Aesthetics was founded in 1977 by current President, Dr. Irwin Smigel. It is an international nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business ...

and diplomate of the American Board of Aesthetic Dentistry, was one of the first to broaden the usage of bonding by using it to close gaps between teeth, lengthen teeth as well as to re-contour the entire mouth rather than using crowns. Having done more extensive work on the process than any other dentist, Dr. Smigel lectures worldwide on aesthetic dentistry. In 1979 he published a guide to aesthetic dentistry entitled “Dental Health/Dental Beauty.” In 2012, new dental universal adhesives are commercialized. The universal adhesives bond to all dental substrates, which include enamel, dentin, metal, porcelain, ceramic and zirconia, with a single application. The term “universal” adhesive is not new. In fact, many early bonding agents were named or described as “universal” adhesives, such as XP Bond-Universal Total-etch Adhesive (Dentsply), One-Step-Universal Dental Adhesive (Bisco). However, there is still not a definition of dental “universal adhesive”. It is highly confusing what the term “universal” means. In 2012, the term “universal adhesive” has several definitions which may include: a)Can be used in total-etch, self-etch, and selective etch techniques; b)Can be used with light-cure, self-cure, and dual-cure materials (without the separate activators); c)Can be used for both direct and indirect substrates; d)Can bond to all dental substrates, such as dentin, enamel, metal, ceramic, porcelain, and zirconia.

In orthodontic treatments

Bonding of orthodontic brackets to teeth is crucial to enable effective treatment with fixed appliances. There is no clear evidence on which to make a clinical decision of the type of orthodontic adhesive to use.

References

{{Dentistry Dentistry branches

History

In orthodontic treatments

See also

References