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Composite restorations have the advantage of being created in the dental office, which can lead to beautiful, natural aesthetics. Laboratory technicians tend to spend minimal time with the patient and reconstruct the restoration based on information provided by the clinician. Dentists, however, are at a great advantage, as they can refer to the surrounding tooth structure when building the restoration. Part I of this article will discuss various guidelines for treating anterior teeth using direct resin restorations, while Part II will address posterior restorations.

Anterior diastemata may compromise the harmony of a patient's smile. Consideration of etiologic factors, previous gingival conditioning, and individual treatment planning are essential in the proper management of anterior diastemata. An integrated orthodontic-restorative approach may enhance the aesthetic results when orthodontic therapy itself is not feasible. This article presents integrated orthodonticrestorative solutions of anterior diastemata, associated with the conditioning of the gingival tissue with composite resin, and discusses the most relevant aspects related to their etiology and treatment planning.

Post placement in oval-shaped root canals implies the sacrifice of sound dental tissue to adapt the canal shape to fit the post, which can result in one of several significant complications. A semidirect, single-visit, chairside procedure is proposed, which permits the use of an almost anatomically shaped post, starting from a preformed fiber-reinforced composite root canal post of the largest size commercially available. The utilization of this post capitalizes on the advantages of both the fiber post and the anatomical post in oval- and ribbon-shaped canals to provide restoration of endodontically treated teeth.

Today's composite resins possess optical and physical characteristics that have expanded their clinical indications. The successful and predictable application of these materials depends on the practitioner's understanding of their material properties as well as the clinical requirements involved in their delivery; identifying the characteristics of the natural tooth is also important. This presentation reviews contemporary resin materials and demonstrates simple and repeatable guidelines for margin and material placement that improve the clinician's ability to implement microhybrid resins in daily practice.

In aesthetic dentistry, material science has played a key role in the development of natural-appearing restorations. Despite the progress, there have been challenges in achieving a harmonious integration of direct and indirect posterior restorations. Although porcelain restorations provide natural aesthetics, ceramics cannot be applied via direct techniques. Consequently, composite resins are valuable alternatives for conservative posterior restorations. In addition, because of their differing physical and optical properties, optimal aesthetic blending with porcelain and resin cannot be routinely achieved. This article explores the potential of composite resins as a direct and indirect restorative option in achieving the most favorable natural blend in the posterior region.

The direct resin buildup of a Class III restoration based on contemporary layering and curing techniques allows clinicians to provide conservative treatment and a virtually imperceptible blend with adjacent tooth structures. This presentation describes a new approach to the Class III buildup. The importance of restoring enamel and dentin as two different substrates is also stressed. In this context, the selection of a microhybrid composite resin system able to reproduce the optical and mechanical properties of the natural dentition can help to achieve these goals.