Louis Mackenzie

General Dental Practitioner, Birmingham; Clinical Lecturer, University of Birmingham School of Dentistry, Birmingham, UK.

Technique Tips

PTFE, discovered in 1938, often referred to as ‘Teflon’, is a versatile material made from Polytetrafluoroethylene. PTFE is a polymer of tetrafluoroethylene1 and consists entirely of carbon and...

Survival rates of resin composite restorations in loadbearing situations in posterior teeth

Randomized Clinical Controlled Trials (RCCTs) have been considered to be the ‘gold standard’ for assessment of the clinical performance of restorations by Brocklehurst and Hoare,5 these workers adding...

Posterior composites: An update

As posterior composites require specialized skills and are demanding in terms of clinical time,4 this paper aims to provide an update of the latest evidence-based protocols that will enable the...

Technique tips: Minamata: what patients need to know

The Minamata Convention on mercury is a global treaty, signed by the UK and over one hundred countries in October 2013 with the intention of protecting human health and the environment from the...

Tooth anatomy: a practical guide part 2: drawing anterior teeth

The appearance of anterior teeth is determined primarily by the optical properties of tooth shape, surface texture and colour.3 When restoring anterior teeth there is general agreement in the...

Tooth anatomy: A practical guide part 1: drawing posterior teeth

Design of the new blended learning program included didactic teaching (predominantly online delivery) reinforced by a series of tooth drawing exercises divided into the following subject areas:.

Book review


Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry from publishers Wiley Blackwell is an outstanding new textbook offering readers considerably more than the title implies..

Iatrogenesis and how to prevent it

It is well documented that the prevalence of iatrogenic damage is extremely high. Tooth preparation of Class II cavities almost always results in some level of unnecessary damage to adjacent hard...

What's new in dentine bonding?: universal adhesives

In the past, dentine-bonding agents were classified into generations.7 However, this means of identifying different groups of bonding agents fell into disarray because of the failure of authorities on...

Minimally invasive long-term management of direct restorations: the ‘5 rs’

A failing restoration can be described as one that has suffered biomechanical defect or damage resulting in immediate or subsequent detrimental clinical consequences to the patient. This may affect...

Book review

For any practitioners who have experienced frustration and unpredictable aesthetic results when carrying out direct composite layering techniques, salvation is at hand in the form of a magnificent new...

Dental materials – what goes where? class I and II cavities

Glass ionomer cements (GICs) were developed in the early 1970s, being a combination of a fluoro-alumino-silicate (FAS) glass, mixed with a polyacrylic acid.34 Principal advantages of GIC materials...

Direct anterior composites: a practical guide

A complex range of interrelated factors combine to determine the overall aesthetic properties of each individual patient's smile. Principles of ‘smile design’ are well-documented and the dental...