Is It Necessary to Photoactivate the Adhesive System Inside Ceramic Laminate Veneers in a Luting Procedure?

PURPOSE: To investigate the need for photoactivation of the adhesive system inside ceramic laminates before the luting procedure and to evaluate the color stability, nanohardness, and elastic modulus of the adhesive interface activated with singlewave and polywave light-curing units. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 44 lithium disilicate ceramic veneers (7.0 mm × 8.0 mm × 0.6 mm) were fabricated, bonded to enamel, and sorted into four experimental groups (n = 11 each) according to the type of light-curing unit (Radii-Cal [singlewave] or Valo [polywave]) and mode of adhesive system activation (with or without previous photoactivation). Two luting agents were used: the Tetric N-Bond adhesive system and Variolink Veneer resin cement. A visible ultraviolet spectrophotometer was used to evaluate the color stability before and after UVB artificial accelerated aging for 252, 504, and 756 hours (n = 8 samples from each group). A nanohardness tester under a load of 1,000 µN was used to evaluate the nanohardness and elastic modulus (n = 3 samples from each group). Data regarding the color stability and the mechanical properties (nanohardness and elastic modulus) were subjected to analysis of variance and Tukey protected least significant difference test (α = .05). RESULTS: Prior activation of the adhesive system, the distinct light-curing units, and different aging periods exerted no significant difference on the color stability or mechanical properties of the resin cement (P > .05), except for in the group activated with Radii-Cal after 756 hours, in which the nonprevious activation showed lower color alteration compared to the previous photoactivation (P = .0285). Without prior activation of the adhesive with Valo, the polywave unit promoted higher nanohardness and elastic modulus values in the adhesive system (P < .05). CONCLUSION: In general, singlewave and polywave light-curing units promoted no difference in color stability or the mechanical properties of the adhesive interface. The prior curing of an adhesive system inside ceramic laminate is not necessary.

Effect of previous photoactivation of the adhesive system on the color stability and mechanical properties of resin components in ceramic laminate veneer luting.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The color stability and mechanical properties of luting agents influence the esthetics and longevity of ceramic restorations. However, studies evaluating the color changes and mechanical properties of luting agents under ceramic laminates activated by using different methods are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different modes of photoactivation on the nanohardness and elastic modulus of resin cements and dental adhesives and on the color stability of ceramic laminate veneers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-four lithium disilicate blocks (7×8×0.6 mm) were cemented onto bovine enamel and divided into 4 groups according to the polymerization light (Radii-Cal or Valo) used and the mode of activation of the dental adhesive (no previous photoactivation or previous photoactivation). Single Bond Universal dental adhesive and RelyX Veneer resin cement were used in all experimental groups. Color stability was measured using a UV-2450 ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer before and after ultraviolet-B artificial accelerated aging (n=8). The nanohardness and the elastic modulus of the adhesive and resin cement were measured using a nanohardness tester (n=3). The color stability and mechanical properties were measured and analyzed using ANOVA and the Tukey least significant difference test (α=.05). RESULTS: No difference in color stability or mechanical properties of the resin cement among the polymerization lights was detected (P>.05). Specimens that underwent previous photoactivation of the adhesive using the Valo polywave unit exhibited higher elastic modulus values than those that did not undergo previous photoactivation (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Valo polywave polymerization light improved mechanical properties and color stability more than the Radii-Cal unit. Previous activation of the dental adhesive in the dental enamel with the Valo polywave polymerization light yielded more satisfactory results.

Systematic approach to preparing ceramic-glass composites with high translucency for dental restorations.

OBJECTIVE: Ceramic composites are promising materials for dental restorations. However, it is difficult to prepare highly translucent composites due to the light scattering that occurs in multiphase ceramics. The objective of this work was to verify the effectiveness of a systematic approach in designing specific glass compositions with target properties in order to prepare glass infiltrated ceramic composites with high translucency. METHODS: First it was necessary to calculate from literature data the viscosity of glass at the infiltration temperature using the SciGlass software. Then, a glass composition was designed for targeted viscosity and refractive index. The glass of the system SiO2-B2O3-Al2O3-La2O3-TiO2 prepared by melting the oxide raw materials was spontaneously infiltrated into porous alumina preforms at 1200°C. The optical properties were evaluated using a refractometer and a spectrophotometer. The absorption and scattering coefficients were calculated using the Kubelka-Munk model. RESULTS: The light transmittance of prepared composite was significantly higher than a commercial ceramic-glass composite, due to the matching of glass and preform refractive indexes which decreased the scattering, and also to the decrease in absorption coefficient. SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed systematic approach was efficient for development of glass infiltrated ceramic composites with high translucency, which benefits include the better aesthetic performance of the final prosthesis.