Adhesives: Dos and don'ts

The more dental practitioners understand the clinical and substrate variables that can influence the formation of an effective hybrid layer, the more likely the clinician will succeed in creating durable resin-dentin bonds. The ultimate goal in enamel/dentin bonding is to hybridize demineralized tooth structure and to provide stable adhesion of restorative materials to the tooth periphery. Gwinnett(6) compared resin-dentin bonding to links in a chain in which the assemblage of the links is only as strong as the weakest link, It is generally agreed that the weak link in the resin-bonded assembly to enamel and dentin lies at the tissue/resin interface. This connection is fashioned by the clinician. Therefore, an understanding of how this link is created and factors influencing its performance are basic to predicting the clinical effectiveness of bonded restorations. The "dos and don'ts" should be carefully balanced.