Let’s quickly review the current role of flowable composites.
When the first dental resin-based composites were first introduced by 3M in 1964, they were thought of as an “amalgam substitute”. In other words, we thought that we needed to place it in little increments and pack it, sculpt it, and carve it like we did with amalgam.
When the first flowable composites were introduced in 1996,1 nobody was quite sure what to do with them, but we could see the definite advantages of an injectable material that instantly wets the tooth structure. What we have learned over time is that the more we manipulate composites, the more problems we can experience. Composite today is moving to being injected with little or no hand manipulation and flowable is an ideal injectable material.
Today at the Bioclear Learning Centers, we teach flowable composites as in integral part of nearly every composite procedure.