DICOR surface treatments for enhanced bonding

Treatments for preparing castable ceramic surfaces for enhanced bonding to specially formulated resin-based cements were examined. An ammonium bifluoride etch combined with gamma-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane produced shear bond strengths higher than when an ammonium bifluoride treatment was used alone. The method of curing the silane was highly significant in the contribution to the cement/substrate bond strength, with the heat-cure producing the highest values. Long-term water storage tests indicated that the cement bond with etch plus silane-treated castable ceramic surfaces (whether heat or chemically cured silane was used) demonstrated no significant decrease in strength after a one-year period.