4. Properties of dental composites

Dental composites are materials whose properties must be close to those of the dental tissues (enamel and/or dentin) they are going to replace. Mechanical properties below those required would for example cause fracture of the restorative material. On the contrary, mechanical properties exceeding those required can induce damage to healthy tissues . The final composite characteristics depend on the one hand on its composition and on the other hand on the polymerization conditions. The know-how of the practitioner as well as the implementation procedure of the restoration (layer by layer, thickness of the layers, irradiation time, curing lamp, etc.)...