Surface Morphology Changes of Bleached Dental Ceramics

Abstract

Tooth whitening is one of the most conservative procedures for increasing the aesthetics of patients, but the effect of bleaching on ceramic restorations has not been extensively studied. In this study, the bleaching effect on three dental restoration materials (polished/glazed lithium disilicate glass ceramic, leucite reinforced glass ceramic and zirconium dioxide ceramic) has been investigated in terms of surface roughness changes of the exposed samples. Philips Zoom NiteWhite 16% carbamide peroxide, Philips Zoom 6% hydrogen peroxide with following LED illumination and Pola Office 6% hydrogen peroxide have been used for ceramic bleaching. The experimental investigation and performed statistical analysis revealed that the highest surface roughness changes of all investigated ceramics were caused by the hydrogen peroxide and the lowest by carbamide peroxide. These findings correlated well with the colour changes observed in the same bleached dental ceramic samples indicating potential of carbamide peroxide as the most prospective bleaching agent.