diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
index 10121554dc9..c6e5772c1eb 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
@@ -447,7 +447,15 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
       focusOnOpen: true,
       disableParentScroll: true,
       transformTemplate: function(template) {
-        return '<div class="md-dialog-container">' + template + '</div>';
+        return '<div class="md-dialog-container">' + validatedTemplate(template) + '</div>';
+
+        /**
+         * The specified template should contain a <md-dialog> wrapper element....
+         */
+        function validatedTemplate(template) {
+          template || ""
+          return /<\/md-dialog>/g.test(template) ? template : "<md-dialog>" + template + "</md-dialog>";
+        }
       }
     };
 
diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
index fb8db593063..2841c7ca9e8 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
@@ -348,6 +348,39 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
       expect(closing).toBe(true);
     }));
 
+
+    it('should not wrap content with existing md-dialog', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope) {
+
+      var template = '<md-dialog><div id="rawContent">Hello</div></md-dialog>';
+      var parent = angular.element('<div>');
+
+      $mdDialog.show({
+        template: template,
+        parent: parent
+      });
+
+      $rootScope.$apply();
+
+      var container = parent[0].querySelectorAll('md-dialog');
+      expect(container.length).toBe(1);
+    }));
+
+    it('should wrap raw content with md-dialog', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope) {
+
+      var template = '<div id="rawContent">Hello</div>';
+      var parent = angular.element('<div>');
+
+      $mdDialog.show({
+        template: template,
+        parent: parent
+      });
+
+      $rootScope.$apply();
+
+      var container = parent[0].querySelectorAll('md-dialog');
+      expect(container.length).toBe(1);
+    }));
+
     it('should append dialog with container', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope) {
 
       var template = '<md-dialog>Hello</md-dialog>';
@@ -367,7 +400,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
     it('should escapeToClose == true', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope, $rootElement, $timeout, $animate, $mdConstant) {
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '<md-dialog></md-dialog>',
         parent: parent,
         escapeToClose: true
       });
@@ -391,7 +424,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
     it('should escapeToClose == false', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope, $rootElement, $timeout, $animate, $mdConstant) {
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         escapeToClose: false
       });
@@ -411,7 +444,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
 
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         clickOutsideToClose: true
       });
@@ -434,7 +467,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
 
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         clickOutsideToClose: false
       });
@@ -458,7 +491,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
       spyOn($mdUtil, 'disableScrollAround');
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         disableParentScroll: true
       });
@@ -469,7 +502,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
     it('should hasBackdrop == true', inject(function($mdDialog, $animate, $rootScope) {
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         hasBackdrop: true
       });
@@ -482,7 +515,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
     it('should hasBackdrop == false', inject(function($mdDialog, $rootScope) {
       var parent = angular.element('<div>');
       $mdDialog.show({
-        template: '<md-dialog>',
+        template: '',
         parent: parent,
         hasBackdrop: false
       });
diff --git a/src/components/sidenav/sidenav.scss b/src/components/sidenav/sidenav.scss
index 6a8bc2a0d8d..7d622d9e467 100644
--- a/src/components/sidenav/sidenav.scss
+++ b/src/components/sidenav/sidenav.scss
@@ -1,16 +1,26 @@
 $sidenav-default-width: 304px !default;
 $sidenav-min-space: 56px !default;
 
+.md-sidenav-left {
+  transform: translate3d(-100%, 0, 0);
+}
+
 md-sidenav {
   box-sizing: border-box;
-  position: absolute;
+  position: relative;
   flex-direction: column;
   z-index: $z-index-sidenav;
 
+  top:0;
+  bottom: 0;
+  left:0;
   width: $sidenav-default-width;
   min-width: $sidenav-default-width;
   max-width: $sidenav-default-width;
-  bottom: 0;
+
+  display:none;
+  transition: 0s ease-out transform;
+
   background-color: white;
   overflow: auto;
 
@@ -18,84 +28,26 @@ md-sidenav {
     list-style: none;
   }
 
-  &.md-closed {
-    display: none;
-  }
-  &.md-closed-add,
-  &.md-closed-remove {
-    display: flex;
-    transition: 0.2s ease-in all;
-  }
-
-  &.md-closed-add.md-closed-add-active,
-  &.md-closed-remove.md-closed-remove-active {
-    transition: $swift-ease-out;
-  }
 
   &.md-locked-open-add,
   &.md-locked-open-remove {
-    position: static;
-    display: flex;
-    transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
+    display: block;
   }
   &.md-locked-open {
-    width: $sidenav-default-width;
-    min-width: $sidenav-default-width;
-    max-width: $sidenav-default-width;
-  }
+    display: block;
+    transition-duration: 0.2s;
 
-  &.md-locked-open,
-  &.md-locked-open.md-closed,
-  &.md-locked-open.md-closed.md-sidenav-left,
-  &.md-locked-open.md-closed.md-sidenav-right,
-  &.md-locked-open-remove.md-closed {
-    position: static;
-    display: flex;
-    transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
-  }
-  &.md-locked-open-remove-active {
-    transition: width $swift-ease-in-duration $swift-ease-in-timing-function,
-                min-width $swift-ease-in-duration $swift-ease-in-timing-function;
-    width: 0;
-    min-width: 0;
-  }
-
-  &.md-closed.md-locked-open-add {
-    width: 0;
-    min-width: 0;
-    transform: translate3d(0%, 0, 0);
-  }
-
-  &.md-closed.md-locked-open-add-active {
-    transition: width $swift-ease-in-duration $swift-ease-in-timing-function,
-                min-width $swift-ease-in-duration $swift-ease-in-timing-function;
-    width: $sidenav-default-width;
-    min-width: $sidenav-default-width;
-    transform: translate3d(0%, 0, 0);
+    &.md-sidenav-left {
+      transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
+    }
   }
 
   @extend .md-sidenav-left;
 }
-.md-sidenav-backdrop.md-locked-open {
-  display: none;
-}
 
-.md-sidenav-left {
-  left: 0;
-  top: 0;
-  transform: translate3d(0%, 0, 0);
-  &.md-closed {
-    transform: translate3d(-100%, 0, 0);
-  }
-}
 
-.md-sidenav-right {
-  left: 100%;
-  top: 0;
-  transform: translate3d(-100%, 0, 0);
-  &.md-closed {
-    transform: translate3d(0%, 0, 0);
-  }
+.md-sidenav-backdrop.md-locked-open {
+  display: none;
 }
 
 @media (max-width: $sidenav-default-width + $sidenav-min-space) {
@@ -108,7 +60,4 @@ md-sidenav {
   .md-sidenav-left {
     border-right: 1px solid #fff;
   }
-  .md-sidenav-right {
-    border-left: 1px solid #fff;
-  }
 }
diff --git a/src/core/services/aria/aria.js b/src/core/services/aria/aria.js
index 501fa6fadc5..7c736032624 100644
--- a/src/core/services/aria/aria.js
+++ b/src/core/services/aria/aria.js
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ function AriaService($$rAF, $log, $window) {
    * @param {optional} defaultValue What to set the attr to if no value is found
    */
   function expect(element, attrName, defaultValue) {
-    var node = element[0] || element;
+
+    var node = angular.element(element)[0] || element;
 
     // if node exists and neither it nor its children have the attribute
     if (node &&
diff --git a/src/core/services/aria/aria.spec.js b/src/core/services/aria/aria.spec.js
index 83de396ff2a..32a0a5a38b7 100644
--- a/src/core/services/aria/aria.spec.js
+++ b/src/core/services/aria/aria.spec.js
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@ describe('$mdAria service', function() {
   beforeEach(module('material.core'));
 
   describe('expecting attributes', function(){
+    it('should warn if an invalid element is specified', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $log, $mdAria) {
+      spyOn($log, 'warn');
+      var target = $compile('<div></div>')($rootScope);
+
+      $mdAria.expect(null,'aria-label');
+      expect($log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }));
+
     it('should warn if element is missing attribute', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $log, $mdAria) {
       spyOn($log, 'warn');
       var button = $compile('<button><md-icon></md-icon></button>')($rootScope);
@@ -20,6 +28,15 @@ describe('$mdAria service', function() {
       expect($log.warn).toHaveBeenCalled();
     }));
 
+    it('should warn if element is emtpry attribute', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $log, $mdAria) {
+      spyOn($log, 'warn');
+      var button = $compile('<button aria-label=""><md-icon></md-icon></button>')($rootScope);
+
+      $mdAria.expect(button, 'aria-label');
+
+      expect($log.warn).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }));
+
     it('should not warn if child element has attribute', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $log, $mdAria) {
       spyOn($log, 'warn');
       var button = $compile('<button><md-icon aria-label="text"></md-icon></button>')($rootScope);
diff --git a/src/core/util/util.js b/src/core/util/util.js
index 6f56afe2d99..64ce504953d 100644
--- a/src/core/util/util.js
+++ b/src/core/util/util.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ angular
   .module('material.core')
   .factory('$mdUtil', UtilFactory);
 
-function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $interpolate) {
+function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $interpolate, $log) {
   // Setup some core variables for the processTemplate method
   var startSymbol = $interpolate.startSymbol(),
     endSymbol = $interpolate.endSymbol(),
@@ -462,6 +462,8 @@ function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $in
           return angular.element(element[i]);
         }
       }
+
+      $log.warn( $mdUtil.supplant("Unable to find node '{0}' in element.",[nodeName]) );
       return element;
     },