Finishing and polishing of composites

Four different methods for finishing and polishing the surfaces of two different composite materials were studied by measuring the roughness of specimens at different stages of the procedures. Method 1 consisted of four different Shofu SuperSnap discs. Method 2 included the Shofu Dura-White stone, the Shofu CompoSite point, and the Vivadent polisher for composite resins. In method 3 the four 3M Sof-Lex XT discs were used. Method 4 comprised a green stone, a carbide finishing bur, and the Vivadent polisher for composite. All four methods were completed by using Kerr Command Ultrafine Lustre Paste. The composites used were Silux and P30. After the initial finishing, all four methods gave significant effect when used on the Silux, but on the P30 only methods 2, 3, and 4 gave a significant improvement. However, the degree of effectiveness of the methods varied greatly.