You have a patient who has a large number of cervical restorations made of resin-modified glass ionomer. The patient’s restorations and teeth were recently cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler. What should you be concerned about?: (A) Tooth cement adhesion issue, (B) Biofilm formation, (C) Exposure of dentinal tubules, (D) None of the above
Answer is B. The creation of a rough restoration surface by abrasion, erosion, air polishing, or ultrasonic instrumentation has been associated with increased biofilm formation. The restorations could be repolished or coated with a surface sealant (liquid polish) to rectify the roughening of the surfaces. The restorations should be monitored periodically because clinical studies have not clearly demonstrated that fluoride- releasing dental biomaterials significantly reduce the incidence of secondary caries, and because secondary caries most commonly occur at the gingival margin of restorations.