Directly placed esthetic restorative materials--the continuum.

Because new restorative materials have had little clinical testing, it is difficult to make specific material recommendations for the esthetic restoration of carious teeth. Although fluoride-releasing materials have long been used successfully to restore carious teeth, little clinical documentation has been presented to support their use to inhibit recurrent caries, and their use as an effective restorative material may be questioned. Glass ionomers, compomers, and resin-modified glass ionomers are esthetic fluoride-releasing materials designed to restore teeth by bonding to tooth structure. This article describes the continuum of directly placed esthetic dental restorative materials, the efficacy of amalgam replacement restorative materials, and the role that fluoride-releasing materials may play in the inhibition of recurrent caries in vitro and in vivo.