At-Home and In-Office Bleaching Protocols on the Color Match of Restorations Made With Single-Shade Composites

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Esthetic Dentistry

Background:

• Single-shade composites offer simplified shade matching.
• Tooth bleaching can alter natural tooth color, potentially affecting restoration aesthetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the color match of single-shade and multi-shade composite restorations after two tooth bleaching protocols.

Main Methods:

• Restorations with single-shade (Omnichroma, Vittra Unique) or multi-shade (Filtek Z350 XT) composites were placed in bovine teeth.
• Color match was assessed using Whiteness Index for Dentistry (WID) and color difference (ΔE ₀₀) before and after in-office or at-home bleaching.

Main Results:

• Bleaching protocols did not significantly alter WID or ΔE ₀₀ values.
• Vittra Unique showed higher WID values than Omnichroma and Filtek Z350 XT.
• Single-shade restorations exhibited reduced ΔE ₀₀ after bleaching, indicating improved color match.

Conclusions:

• Tooth bleaching protocols have a limited direct effect on composite color.
• Bleaching can improve the color match of single-shade composites with the natural tooth structure.
• Single-shade composites may offer better long-term esthetic integration following bleaching compared to multi-shade options.