Impact of polishing system on surface roughness of different ceramic surfaces after various pretreatments and bracket debonding

Objective Evaluating various polishing methods after bracket debonding and excessive attachment material removal for different ceramics and pretreatments. Material and methods Zirconia (ZrO2), leucite (LEU) and lithium disilicate (LiSi) specimens were pretreated with a) silica coated alumina particles (CoJet); LEU and LiSi additionally with b) hydrofluoric acid (HF), c) Monobond Etch&Prime (MEP), d) silicium carbide grinder (SiC) before bracket bonding, shearing off, ARI evaluation, excessive attachment material removal and polishing with i) Sof-Lex Discs (Soflex), ii) polishing paste (Paste), iii) polishing set (Set). Before/after polishing surface roughness (Ra) was measured with a profilometer. Martens hardness parameter were also assessed. Results Irrespective of pretreatment Ra of LEU increased the most, followed by LiSi and ZrO2 ( p