Current developments in esthetic dentistry.

Current developments in esthetic dentistry center around new techniques and materials that improve the clinician's ability to provide esthetic services. These developments include the availability of improved composites for anterior and posterior use, a new generation of dentin bonding agents, bonded ceramic restorations, and more efficient and predictable ways to whiten teeth. There is a better understanding of factors contributing to the esthetic value of restoration as well as their longevity. New bonding techniques to dentin enable practitioners to perform difficult restorative procedures in a conservative manner, producing results that are highly esthetic and physiologically tolerable. The use of dental porcelains has expanded from the traditional applications in crowns and bridges to veneers, inlays, onlays and all-porcelain bridges that are directly bonded to teeth. Computer-designed and fabricated inlays and onlays are now an available treatment modality, with a reported 3-years follow-up looking very promising. The increasing public demand for esthetic dental procedures has made the discipline a significant part of dental practice and boosted interests and understanding of procedures, such as tooth bleaching and peridontal surgery, for improved esthetics.