Bonding in Dentistry

It has rightly been said, that the only thing that remains constant in this world is change. Since the advent of time, and particularly since the dawn of the 20th century, man has been faced with the opportunity to change and improve upon pre-existing ideas and inventions in order to progress and evolve. The field of Dental Materials has not been exempt from this challenge, and this is best reflected by the evolution seen in Dentine Bonding Agents. However, change for its own sake is unwise and unnecessary. Is it prudent to tamper with a current system if it functions adequately? In order to answer this question, we must first have a sound understanding of where we stand in the field of Dentine Bonding Agents today. How we determine improvement depends on our perception of it. In today's times, the objectives of restorative dentistry are vastly different from those of yesteryear and we are called to challenge the pre-existing paradigm and make way for a new one. Earlier performance standards were based on the concept of longevity: the longer the restoration lasts, the fewer the number of times the tooth will require a change of restoration.