Our future in restorative dental materials.

Restorative dentistry is moving toward more extensive diagnosis, caries risk assessment, and non-invasive caries management. There will be less restorative intervention and more conservation of existing tooth structure whenever possible. Prevention, minimal intervention, and restoration maintenance will be key guidelines. Restorative materials will continue to evolve slowly and steadily (Figure 1). However, most of the guiding principles for cavity preparation and restoration will be the same as they have been for the past decade. During the coming decade, practitioners will see the first evidence of tooth replacement with genetically equivalent teeth.