Polishing sequence for titanium using dental armamentarium: a pilot study

With the increasing use of titanium in dentistry, the methods for maintenance, particularly the polishing sequence, have become especially important. Thirty test samples of commercially pure grade 2 titanium were sandblasted with 110 microns aluminum oxide at 60 psi to establish a baseline surface roughness. Two samples were exposed to each of 15 different polishing sequences. Scanning electron photomicrographs of the polished samples were taken at x100 and randomly assigned identification numbers. The photomicrographs were evaluated and ranked by six dentists for surface smoothness. The best surface polish was obtained with the following sequence: aluminum oxide stone, green Flexie rubber abrasive wheel, white Flexie rubber abrasive wheel, flour of pumice on a wet rag wheel, buffing bar compound on a felt wheel, rouge on a felt wheel, and rouge on a chamois wheel.