Methods of improving dental restoration margins and articles

1. A method of placing a preformed dental article on a tooth structure, the method comprising:

providing a preformed dental article;

providing an uncured self-supporting dental article having a rope, ribbon, or annular shape,

the uncured self-supporting dental article comprising:

a polymerizable resin system, and

at least 50 wt-% of filler;

placing the preformed dental article onto a tooth structure;

placing the uncured self-supporting dental article onto the tooth structure such that the uncured self-supporting dental article circumferentially surrounds the base of the tooth structure to form a ring shape; and

forming the uncured self-supporting dental article effective to one or more of:

fill a void between the tooth structure and the preformed dental article, and

fill a void between a gumline and the preformed dental article.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bonding the preformed dental article and uncured self-supporting dental article to the tooth structure prior to or after forming the uncured self-supporting dental article.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising etching the tooth structure prior to bonding.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising hardening the uncured self-supporting dental article by curing prior to or after bonding.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the uncured self-supporting dental article comprises or more of:

removing any excess uncured dental material, and

manipulating the shape of the uncured dental material in order to form a continuous surface between the preformed dental article and the tooth structure.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preformed dental article is a crown.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preformed dental article comprises an uncured material, the method further comprising concurrently curing the preformed dental article and uncured self-supporting dental article.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preformed dental article comprises a hardened uncurable material.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tooth structure is of a typodont model.

10. The method of claim rope, ribbon, or annulus has a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 2 mm.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ribbon, or annulus has a cross-sectional shape selected from circular, oval, rectangular, U-shaped or trapezoidal.

12. The method of claim 11 , the cross-sectional shape having a width ranging from 2 mm to 5 mm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rope, ribbon, or annulus has a length of at least 5 mm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymerizable resin system comprises ethylenically unsaturated monomers.

15. A method of repairing a dental restoration of a tooth structure comprising:

providing an uncured self-supporting dental article having a rope, ribbon, or annulus shape;

the uncured self-supporting dental article having a first shape and comprising:

a polymerizable resin system;

at least 50 wt-% of filler; and

placing the uncured self-supporting dental article onto the tooth structure proximate the dental restoration,

forming the uncured self-supporting dental article effective to on or more of:

fill a void between the tooth structure and dental restoration, and

fill a void between a gumline and the preformed dental article.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising bonding the uncured self-supporting dental article to the tooth structure prior to or after the forming.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising hardening the uncured self-supporting dental article by curing after the forming.