Class II composite restorations remain the bread and butter procedure of many general dentists. Although this procedure may seem trivial, there are many clinical factors which lead to a long-lasting restoration, including diagnosis, isolation, caries removal, cavity preparation, use of liner, matrix and wedge placement, bonding technique, composite placement, and finishing and polishing. This course aims to review the techniques for each of these steps based on current evidence.

Course Objectives

1. Discuss treatment guidelines for interproximal caries and caries removal endpoints.

2. Discover materials and techniques to promote a long lasting adhesive bond and create a well-adapted restoration.

3. Analyze matrix utilization and contouring instruments to achieve a tight and well-contoured contact.

Materials List - Please bring the following items with you to the hands-on portion of the course:

High speed FG handpiece (electric or air-driven)

Composite Instruments

Loupes

Nathaniel Lawson DMD PhD is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. He has served as an investigator on over 50 research grants, published 50 peer reviewed articles, 4 book chapters, over 25 articles in trade journals, and 75 research abstracts. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 3M Innovative Research Fellowship both from the American Dental Association. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.

Dr. Chan-Te Huang and Dr. Shantanu Mankar will assist Dr. Lawson in teaching the course.