The effect of different bleaching agents on the surface texture of restorative materials

This blind in vitro study evaluated the effect of a home and an in-office bleaching agent on the surface texture of different tooth-colored restorative materials. Four composites (a hybrid, a flowable, a microhybrid and a nano-hybrid), an ormocer and a ceramic were used, and 2 bleaching agents were tested: 38% hydrogen peroxide and 15% carbamide peroxide. For 38% hydrogen peroxide, the surface morphology of the restorative materials was evaluated after the following time periods: before bleaching, after 15, 30 and 45 minutes of bleaching, 24 hours and 1 month after bleaching. For 15% carbamide peroxide, the time periods were: before bleaching, after 8 and 56 hours of bleaching and 24 hours and 1 month after bleaching. For the 4 composite materials and the ormocer, 2 samples groups were prepared; in 1 group, the specimens were polished and in the other, they stayed unpolished. For the ceramic group, polished samples were prepared. For every material, 3 samples per category and time period were prepared, respectively. Subsequently, the appropriate bleaching procedure was performed on samples of every group. Scanning electron micrographs were produced at 60x, 200x and 2000x magnifications of respective areas of the samples. The results showed that the effect of bleaching on the surface texture was material- and time-dependent. Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that bleaching with 38% hydrogen peroxide and 15% carbamide peroxide did not cause major surface texture changes on the polished surfaces of the restorative materials.