Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026
Detection and Removal of Tooth-Colored Composite Resin Using the Fluorescence-Aided Identification Technique
Published on: July 27, 2022
Tooth color change due to different etching and debonding procedures
Objectives::
To compare the effects of different etching techniques, 12-, 24-bladed tungsten carbide burs, and polishing discs on tooth color changes during orthodontic treatment.
Materials And Methods::
59 individuals (mean age: 15.20 ± 1.59 years) were divided into four groups: 37% phosphoric acid and adhesive primer was used in Groups I and II whereas self-etch primer was used in Groups III and IV for enamel preparation. After orthodontic treatment, residual adhesives were cleaned with 12-bladed tungsten carbide burs in Groups I and III, while 24-bladed tungsten carbide burs were used in Groups II and IV. All teeth were polished with medium and fine Sof-Lex XT discs (3M ESPE, St Paul, Minnesota). Color measurements were taken from upper incisors and canines at pretreatment (T0), after cleaning with tungsten carbide burs (T1) and polishing with discs (T2). Wilcoxon test was used for evaluation of L*, a*, b* changes and Kruskal-Wallis for intergroup comparison of color changes.
Results::
L*, a*, b* values, except a* at Groups I, II, IV, and b* at Group III, changed significantly ( P < .05). Groups III and IV showed significantly different color alterations from T0 to T1 ( P < .05). After polishing, tooth color alterations were not significantly different among the groups.
Conclusions::
In self-etch bonding groups, a 12-bladed tungsten carbide bur caused less color change than the 24-bladed tungsten carbide bur. Orthodontic treatment resulted with visible and clinically unacceptable tooth color alterations regardless of the enamel preparation and clean-up techniques. Polishing reduced the effect of tungsten carbide burs, but did not affect the total influence of orthodontic treatment on the tooth color.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
03:02Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
01:24Color Vision
01:50Global Climate Change
01:20Rates of Change
01:17Work Done During Volume Change
Consider a gas confined to a cylinder fitted with a movable piston at one end. If the gas expands from volume V1 to volume V2, it exerts a force on the piston, such that the piston moves by a distance dr.
The work done by the gas on the piston can be expressed as