The practice of restorative dentistry dates back to the 1st century AD. These restorations are done to restore form, function and esthetics. In current restorative practice, the materials to choose from are dental amalgam, composite resin (and its modifications) and glass ionomer cements (and its modifications). Dental amalgam was the material of choice for nearly two centuries. This was because it has such properties as durability, ease of placement, high compressive strength and it was cheap. It however was not esthetic and there was concern of its use due to its mercury content. Composite resin was initially only restricted to the anterior portion of the mouth and for small Class I cavities this was because though it was esthetic, it lacked strength, but with modifications, new research now shows it can be a good substitute for dental amalgam. Glass ionomer cement bonds to both enamel and dentine, it also has sustained release of fluoride which helps to remineralize tooth structure as well as prevent future caries occurrence. It can now also serve as a definitive restoration in the posterior stress bearing portion of the mouth. Although dental amalgam has been the material of choice almost two centuries, there is now a paradigm shift towards non-amalgam restorative materials. This paradigm shift has been occasioned by the need to restore tooth with materials that best match the tooth in terms of function and esthetics. The biomimetics are in as they fulfil the conditions and conserve tooth tissue.