Notes on Effective Dental Bonding with Self-etch System

Notes on Effective Dental Bonding with Self-etch System are:

1. Enamel, if present, should be beveled to improve retention. Some authors prefer to place bevel as long as the cavity for better esthetics and bonding especially in class V.

2. The surfaces to be bonded should be clean and debris-free to prevent contamination of the adhesive, since there is no rinsing step that would remove any contaminants.

3. If using a multidose, single-bottle adhesive, the amount required should be dispensed immediately prior to use in order to reduce the risk of solvent loss, which could potentially result in phase separation of monomer and water.

Using a unit-dose package helps to avoid this problem and also provides an appropriate amount of adhesive for use.

4. Apply the self-etch adhesive to the enamel first, followed by application to the dentin. Some products recommend agitation of the adhesive to enhance its penetration.

5. Do not use a separate etchant on the dentin prior to using self-etch adhesives. While it may be believed that this would improve the bond to dentin, self-etch adhesives are not designed to work on etched dentin.

The result would be clinically undesirable and could potentially result in catastrophic failure of the restoration.

If using a separate etchant on enamel, great care must be taken to avoid its contact with dentin and to thoroughly rinse it off prior to the use of self-etch adhesives.

6. If using a one-step self-etch adhesive, apply multiple applications (as recommended by manufacturer) to help ensure adequate coating and penetration.

7. Thoroughly dry the adhesive (with a gentle stream of air) once it has been placed, to ensure removal of any volatile solvent and prevent interference with polymerization.

8. Light-cure the adhesive prior to placing the composite.