Abstract
There are treatments available for enamel demineralization or acid erosion, but they have limitations. We aimed to manufacture a device that could directly form a hydroxyapatite (HAp) film coating on the enamel with a chairside erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method for repairing enamel defects. We used decalcified bovine enamel specimens and compacted α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) as targets of Er:YAG-PLD. With irradiation, an α-TCP coating layer was immediately deposited on the specimen surface. The morphological, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of the coatings were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and a micro-Vickers hardness tester. Wear resistance, cell attachment of the HAp coatings, and temperature changes during the Er:YAG-PLD procedure were also observed. SEM demonstrated that the α-TCP powder turned into microparticles by irradiation. XRD peaks revealed that the coatings were almost hydrolyzed into HAp within 2 days. Micro-Vickers hardness indicated that the hardness lost by decalcification was almost recovered by the coatings. The results suggest that the Er:YAG-PLD technique is useful for repairing enamel defects and has great potential for future clinical applications.
Highlights
This paper reports a treatment of defected enamel by directly depositing α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) coatings on demineralized bovine enamel surfaces under the specific erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er):YAG-pulsed laser deposition (PLD) conditions based on the clinical environment
Laser by irradiating the bulk of α-TCP into microparticles, which were plugged into the interspace of the bovine enamel prisms to recover the loss of hardness
The deposited α-TCP layer was hydrolyzed by artificial saliva to create an HAp film coating
Summary
The high bond strength between the tooth enamel and bracket in orthodontic treatment results in enamel damage on bracket removal. The bracket fails at the bracket–adhesive interface, leaving behind all or most of the adhesive on the enamel, requiring removal by rotary burs at a low speed [1]. The remanent adhesive on the surface of the teeth is not ideal for strength and luster. The enamel on the tooth surface is acellular and scarcely self-repaired after damage after the time of tooth eruption [2,3]. As the adhesive used for orthodontic treatment is composite resin, marginal gaps and microleakage between fillings and teeth are undesirable [4]. Decalcification of the enamel is a common side effect of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances; strategies to prevent it are limited
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