cosmetic dentistry - beauty & science

26 I I industry report _ composite restorations cosmeticdentistry 3_2012 _For many years, the trend in restorative den- tistry has been to place only one- or two-shade composite restorations in daily practice. However, with this approach, it is difficult to achieve a satis- factory aesthetic result in anterior teeth. There are great variations in colour value (lightness or dark- ness), depending on the patient’s age and enamel thickness, which affect the overall tooth colour. It has been proven that aesthetic restorations can only be achieved if the different values of natural enamel are recreated with composite material of a similar translucency. In recent years, anatomic layering techniques have been advocated by various clinicians aiming to achieve a more natural-looking restoration. The essence of these techniques is similar: recreate lost tooth structure layer by layer using composite ma- terialsofdifferentopacities.Someofthetechniques are rather complex, using numerous shades and layers,makingthemdifficulttolearnanduseindaily practice. In this article, a simple and predictable restora- tive technique will be described that concentrates Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Simple layering technique with direct composite restorations Author_Dr Valdas Vilkinis, Lithuania