ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Shade of the teeth is of specific significance to the patient because of social and psychological concern and hence plays vital role as primary care. Bleaching is a noninvasive, relatively inexpensive, conservative, and low-maintenance method to change a smile dramatically. AIM: To study the effect of application of three bleaching agents at different wavelengths of laser on the enamel surface of teeth using an environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty freshly extracted, noncarious intact maxillary central incisors were collected and stored in moist conditions in plastic containers. Using a randomized stratified design, the samples were divided into 12 groups (n = 10). The bleaching agent was mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions and applied on the enamel surface of the teeth followed by laser activation. The ultrastructural effects of the bleaching agent on the enamel were determined with an ESEM. Samples were assessed both before and after bleaching on the basis of the degree of surface damage. Because the observation by ESEM was designed to be qualitative, no statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: JW power bleaching agent and Opalescence Xtra boost showed minimum surface alteration when compared to Polaoffice. Furthermore, the groups treated with diode 810 nm showed less surface damage while neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet 1064 nm more surface alterations than the groups treated with diodes. CONCLUSION: From this current study, it can be concluded that the diode laser of 810 nm with JW power bleaching showed minimum surface alterations.
