Dr. David Alleman is known today as an innovator in the dental field, but it didn’t start that way. Dr. Alleman recalls his early interest in science, his journey as a dental student, experiences in his early career and how all of this led to him wanting to leave dentistry.

Frustrated with sensitivity and failing restorations, he expectation that fillings would one day need crowns and then root canal therapy the next made his work feel worthless. He wondered: is this the best a dentist could do for their patients?

In 1998 Dr. Alleman learned about advancements in adhesive dentistry, which offered the opportunity for improved results, but some of his mentors’ teaching left him with more questions than answers. So he took the research into his own hands.

Dr. Alleman’s literature review opened his eyes to techniques that would later be called biomimetic restorative dentistry, but at the time he was just looking for a better way to fix teeth. He sought solutions to post-operative sensitivity, failing and debonding restorations and cracked teeth. As Dr. Alleman incorporated the research into his work, the results were impressive. This research is the basis for his Six Lessons Approach to Biomimetic Restorative Dentistry, a system now used by doctors around the world.

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Study with Dr. David Alleman in 2025:
Biomimetic Mastership - class starts September 15. Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/mastership

In-Person SLA Workshop Dates:

• October 24-25
• December 12-13

Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/training

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A long-lasting dental restoration comes down to molecules. Dr. David Alleman breaks down the research timeline of developing adhesives that can bond to dentin, and you don’t have to share his love of chemistry to appreciate how impactful that is to the field of dentistry.

These adhesives were available to dentists as early as 1951, but just using an adhesive containing a proven molecule does not guarantee success in a dental restoration.

Understanding materials and how they interact with a natural tooth are part of Lessons 3 and 4 in Dr. David Alleman’s Six Lessons Approach to Biomimetic Restorative Dentistry. These lessons turn discussions about molecules’ interaction with dentin into actionable steps for practitioners.

Send us a text

Study with Dr. David Alleman in 2025:
Biomimetic Mastership - class starts September 15. Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/mastership

In-Person SLA Workshop Dates:

• October 24-25
• December 12-13

Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/training

Instagram
@david.alleman.dds
@davey_alleman_dmd
@allemancenter.com

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@allemancenter

C-factor is more than the ratio of bonded to unbonded surfaces. Understanding C-factor, or Configuration Factor, is essential to understanding how composites behave in a tooth, but this topic was still being researched as manufacturers were trying to bond to dentin. Eventually, c-factor and its role in composite bonding showed the potential for a strong bond to dentin, but overcoming the c-factor stresses was the key element that Dr. David Alleman studied in his search for predictable adhesive dentistry.

Articles referenced in this episode:

• Cho BH. Effect of interfacial bond quality on the direction of polymerization shrinkage flow in resin composite restorations. Oper. Dent. 2002;27:297-304.
• Alleman DS. The protocols of biomimetic restorative dentistry: 2002 to 2017. Inside Dent. 2017;June 64-73.
• Nakajima M. Bonding to caries-affected dentin using self-etching primers. Am. J. Dent. 1999;12(6)309-314
• Nikaido T. Evaluation of thermal cycling and mechanical loading on bond strength of self-etching primer system to dentin. Dent. Mater. 2002;18 269-275.
• Fusayama T. Clinical guide for removing caries using a caries-detecting solution. Quintessence Int. 1988;19(6)397-401.
• Deliperi S. An alternative method to reduce polymerization shrinkage in direct posterior composite restorations. J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 2002;133 1387-1398.

Send us a text

Study with Dr. David Alleman in 2025:
Biomimetic Mastership - class starts September 15. Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/mastership

In-Person SLA Workshop Dates:

• October 24-25
• December 12-13

Learn more and register at allemancenter.com/training

Instagram
@david.alleman.dds
@davey_alleman_dmd
@allemancenter.com

YouTube
@allemancenter