A mere 20 years ago, fourth-generation adhesives revolutionised restorative dentistry by offering a predictable technique for bonding to both enamel and -dentine.1 Less than five years later, advances in ionomer and resin technologies provided clinically successful dentine and enamel replacement. In 2003, the first se-lective preparation burs able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy dentine were introduced.2 These were all revolutionary innovations that altered the practice of -dentistry significantly. Within a decade, adhesive resin and composites had displaced amalgam as the mainstream restorative materials. The intervening years have seen the development of improved fifth- and seventh-generation adhesives,3, 4 micro-hybrid and nano-hybrid composites, LED curing lights, soft-tissue lasers,5–7 and a host of other adjunct technologies that make -dental treatment better, easier, faster8 and more predictable.9, 10 These innovations have been evo-lutionary, rather than revolutionary, building upon the existing science through gradual improvement and facilitation...
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