Insights on Ceramics as Dental Materials. Part II: Chemical Surface Treatments

The purpose of surface treatment (conditioning) methods on dental ceramics is to improve the retention and bonding between the enamel or the dentin and ceramic veneer, with the help of resin composite luting cements. These types of surface treatments include chemically altering the surface of ceramics with some specific acidic etchants followed by applying a silane coupling agent (silane). The silane currently used in dentistry is 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, a hybrid organic-inorganic trialkoxy ester monomer, which is diluted in an acidified water-ethanol solvent system. Such silane primers are said to be pre-hydrolyzed. Some oxide ceramics with high crystalline content, such as alumina and zirconia, cannot be easily etched with acid etchants. They should be silica-coated and silanized prior to bonding. A silane coupling agent should be applied after silica-coating to the ceramic surface to achieve chemical bonding and the optimal durable bond strength.