Effects of different application durations of scanning laser method on debonding strength of laminate veneers

Porcelain laminate veneers as esthetic and minimally invasive restorations are being used as an alternative to full veneer crowns. However, the removal of porcelain veneers that have failed may be an uncomfortable and time-consuming procedure because of the high bond strength between the porcelain laminate veneers and the tooth surface. The purpose of this study was to prepare a simple and reliable method for porcelain laminate veneer debonding by using an Er:YAG laser with the scanning method and to determine the amount of lasing time required. Eighty cylindrical specimens with a thickness of 0.7 mm and a diameter of 5 mm were fabricated from Empress II ceramic material. They were cemented on the labial surface of extracted bovine mandibular incisors using Variolink II (Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein) and light cured for 40 s. The specimens were randomly divided into four groups of 20. The first group was assigned as the control group and no laser application was performed. The Er:YAG laser was applied on each specimen in the other three study groups for 3, 6, and 9 s by using the scanning method. One second after the lasing, a mechanical force was applied to remove the laminate veneers by using an Instron Universal Testing machine. Results of this study exhibited statistically significant differences between the control group and the three study groups. Intergroup comparison of shear bond strengths of the three study groups showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0001). This study showed that all three application times of Er-YAG laser were effective for debonding ceramic laminate veneers by softening the adhesive resin.