Direct composite resin restorations: a review of some clinical procedures to achieve predictable results in posterior teeth.

UNLABELLED: The interest of patients in having tooth-colored restorations and the development of techniques and materials that make these restorations easier have contributed to make the esthetic restoration of posterior teeth popular. The direct use of composites in posterior teeth is a technique-sensitive procedure. Some difficulties, nevertheless, can be overcome or at least minimized by a heedful clinician by paying thorough attention to the various stages of the restorative technique. The present article seeks to review some concepts about this adhesive restorative procedure and to illustrate the possibilities of the technique with clinical reports. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The direct posterior composite restorative technique offers the possibility of closely matching the natural optical characteristics of the lost tooth structure. Aimed at showing the potential of this technique, this article presents two step-by-step case reports and also reviews some concepts related to these clinical procedures.