Thermal debracketing of single crystal sapphire brackets

Because of their optical clarity, single crystal sapphire brackets provide an esthetic advantage over many other types of orthodontic brackets. However, debonding of these brackets has caused iatrogenic damage to enamel. Thermal debonding has been proposed for use in removing sapphire brackets without causing damage to teeth. This study determined the temperature required at the enamel/resin interface to thermally debond sapphire brackets from etched bovine enamel using 23 different commercially available orthodontic resins and one experimental product. The results indicate a wide range of debonding temperatures for the various resins. As a group, the powder-liquid materials had a statistically lower debonding temperature than the two-paste, the no-mix products, or the light-cured materials, for which the temperatures were all similar. This paper presents relative information a clinician can use in selecting an orthodontic bonding resin to minimize thermal damage to the teeth while debonding sapphire brackets.