External staining procedure in posterior direct restorations

Abstract

The main purpose of direct restoration procedures is to obtain a natural aspect of the restored tooth. The modern restoration materials (direct composite resins) offer this possibility, through their large amount of shades and opacities. More than ever, nowadays the use of pigments in dental medicine has become very usual, due to the increasing demand of the patients for aesthetic restorations. The external staining procedure consists in placing of the pigment on the tooth surface, after the tooth morphology is finished. This paper shows the aesthetic potential of dental pigments to restore the natural appearance of the posterior teeth, using the external staining procedure. Although the staining procedure is time consuming, it offers much satisfaction not only to the patient, but especially to the dentist. Good knowledge of direct composite layering techniques and dental morphology is necessary, in order to obtain a good result.