Today's dental patient concerned about attractive restorations is looking for a dentist who incorporates the newest and best techniques into practice. This article discusses a newer concept that pleases both the patient and dentist: restorations that are bonded into acid-etched tooth preparations with composite resin cement--tooth-colored inlays and onlays. Basic questions asked by practitioners about these esthetic restorations are addressed; characteristics, performance expectations, comparisons with cast gold inlays and onlays, and comparisons with amalgam are presented, in addition to other relevant information for today's dental practitioner.