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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Fused Filament Fabrication FFF of Metal-Ceramic Components
Published on: January 11, 2019
In vitro comparison of frictional forces of a new polycrystalline ceramic bracket versus metal-insert ceramic bracket
Carine Abi Dergham1, Elie Khoury1, Joseph Ghoubril1
1Faculty of Dentistry, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Orthodontic Department, Beirut, Lebanon.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to compare the friction of two types of polycrystalline ceramic brackets before and after aging.
Methods:
A total of 60 second-upper right premolar brackets were divided into two groups: Clarity™ Advanced (3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA) and Clarity™ (3M Unitek). All brackets had a nominal 0.022-in slot size and a McLaughlin Bennett Travesi (MBT) prescription. Each bracket was submitted to a friction test, using the YL01 UTM universal testing machine (YLE GMBH, Germany) before and after thermocycling. All tests were carried out in the presence of artificial saliva, using .019×.025-in. rectangular stainless steel (SS) archwires (3M Unitek). Bracket slot surfaces were observed under an optical microscope (Olympus CX41, Tokyo, Japan) before and after aging.
Results:
Before aging, the Clarity Advanced group showed significantly lower friction than the Clarity group (P=0.011). After aging, the friction of the Clarity Advanced bracket decreased significantly (P<0.001), whereas the friction of the Clarity bracket increased significantly (P<0.001). The microscopic qualitative evaluation showed that the slot surfaces of all aged Clarity brackets revealed important pit corrosion when compared with the original brackets.
Conclusions:
The new Clarity Advanced ceramic bracket shows good physical friction properties due to the various modifications added by the manufacturers.
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