A novel approach for filling tunnel-prepared teeth with composites of two different consistencies: A case presentation

A new approach to fill tunnel preparations with composites of two different consistencies is presented. Removal of caries through a narrow access space and reliably filling this cavity are the two main problems with tunnel-prepared teeth. Caries removal can be supplemented by the use of hand instruments, especially curettes, but filling the lesion with composite of a single consistency is problematic. Flowable composite alone does not create enough pressure to place the filling material into shallow extensions of the lesion; packable composite does not flow well enough. A solution for this problem may be a dual-consistency technique: flowable composite is placed, followed by packable composite, with no light curing in between. The flowable composite is pressed into small details of the cavity by the pressure created by the packable composite. Keywords: dual-consistency technique, flowable composite, packable composite, Opallis, Syntac, tunnel preparation