Evaluating Ceramic Repair Materials in Terms of Bond Strength and Color Stability

To evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and color stability (ΔE) of four ceramic veneers (VITA VM 9; VITA VM 13; VITA VMK 95; and IPS e.max Ceram) following repair with three different self-adhesive composite resins (Fusio Liquid Dentin; Constic; and Vertise Flow) and BISCO Intraoral Repair Kit + Filtek Supreme (BC + FS).

A total of 96 specimens were prepared per ceramic material, and each ceramic group was divided into subgroups according to testing method (32 specimens for color stability analysis and 64 specimens for SBS testing). ΔE and SBS (SBS₁ = non-aged, SBS₂ = thermally aged) values of the repaired specimens were calculated. One specimen from each of the thermally aged groups was investigated under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the mean ΔE, SBS₁, and SBS₂ values. The differences between SBS₁ and SBS₂ values were analyzed using independent-samples t test.

The lowest ΔE values were calculated for Constic (P ≤ .05). The SBS₂ values among all groups were lower than the SBS₁ values (P ≤ .05). The lowest SBS₂ values were observed for Vertise Flow (2.3 ± 1.47 MPa) (P ≤ .05) and were below the acceptable limit of 5 MPa.

All of the investigated repair materials in combination with the ceramic veneers exhibited ΔE values that were higher than the clinically acceptable limits. Thermal aging negatively affected the SBS values in all groups (P ≤ .05). All tested self-adhesive composite resins, with the exception of Vertise Flow, could be used instead of a repair kit with flowable composite resin, especially in noncooperative patients, for the purpose of repairing chipping fractures for VITA VM 9, VITA VM 13, and VITA VMK 95 (P > .05).