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As a predominantly lithium-metasilicate-containing glass-ceramic, Obsidian® (Glidewell Laboratories, USA) has a peculiar composition and microstructure among other dental lithium silicates, warranting an evaluation of the crystallization process to establish relationships between microstructural evolution and mechanical properties. Blocks of the pre-crystallized material were processed into slices measuring 12 × 12 × 1.5 mm

The aim of the present laboratory study was to mechanically characterize the interface between two dental resin-based composite (RBC) increments, and to investigate if elevated temperatures have an influence on the quality of the interface mimicking clinical filling procedure. Four RBCs (CLEARFIL MAJESTY™ Posterior, Kuraray (CMP)/Filtek™ Supreme XTE, 3M (FSX)/Grandio®SO, VOCO (GSO)/VisCalor® bulk, VOCO (VCB)) were tested with a fracture toughness test using Chevron notched beams (KI,CNB) at 23, 37 and 54 °C. KI,CNB specimens (3 × 4x25mm) with a V-shaped notch at the incremental interface were loaded until failure in a 4-point bending set-up. Failure modes were characterized using light microscopy, microstructural interface was analyzed using SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test, two-way ANOVA and Tukey Post-Hoc test (p = 0.05). Mean KI,CNB ranged between 0.73 ±0.14 MPam0.5 (VCB, 23 °C) and 1.11 ± 0.11 MPam0.5 (FSX, 23 °C). The tested conventional highly filled RBCs presented fracture toughness at the incremental interface comparable to the cohesive strength of the bulk materials. VCB showed reduced interfacial fracture toughness at 23 and 37 °C, but performed well at elevated temperature of 54 °C.

Residual stresses arising from inhomogeneous cooling after sintering have shown to play a preponderant role in the higher incidence of chippings observed for glass-zirconia dental prostheses. Still, current descriptions of their nature and distribution have failed to reconcile with clinical findings. Therefore, an axisymmetric sphero-cylindrical bilayer model was used in this study to determine the effect of the cooling rate on the final spatial distribution of residual stresses. Zirconia frameworks with two different radii (1.6 and 3.2mm) were CAD/CAM fabricated. Subsequent glass overlays with two different thickness ratios (1:1 and 2:1) were generated and heat pressed onto the zirconia substrates. The obtained structures were submitted to a last firing process and fast- (45°C/s) or slow-cooled (0.5°C/s) to room temperature. Unbonded bilayers were produced by firing glass overlays onto boron nitride coated zirconia. Thin sagittal and transversal sections were obtained from the specimens to assess residual stress distribution by means of light birefringence. The applied cooling rates did not affect distribution or magnitude of radial residual stresses (sagittal sections), whereas increased hoop stress magnitudes were measured (transversal sections) in fast-cooled specimens. A distinct stress nature was observed for the hoop stress component of unbonded overlays after fast cooling. Interaction between stress components seems to govern the final stress distribution, highlighting the importance of a multiaxial assessment of this problem in three-dimensional structures.

The bond between methacrylic polymer adhesives and dental restoratives is not perfect and may fail either in the short or in the long term. This study aims to evaluate the effects of particle incorporation in a self-etch model adhesive on mechanical and physical properties that are relevant during application and service. Filled adhesives containing 5, 10, 15 or 25 wt% glass fillers were compared to their unfilled counterpart in terms of water sorption and solubility; viscosity and dynamic viscosity during polymerization were recorded using rheological measurements and compared to FTIR analysis of the real-time degree of cure. Elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength measurements were performed in uniaxial tension; the energy to fracture was used to calculate the fracture toughness of the adhesives. Finally, the experimental adhesives were applied on dentin substrate to test the bond strength using the microtensile test. Results showed that the incorporation of 5–10 wt% nanofiller to self-etching dental adhesives is efficient in accelerating the polymerization reaction and increasing the degree of cure without compromising the film viscosity for good wettability or water sorption and solubility. Fillers increased the elastic modulus, tensile strength and fracture toughness to a plateau between 5 and 15 wt% filler concentration, and despite the tendency to form agglomerations, active crack pinning/deflection toughening mechanisms have been observed. The bond strength between resin composite and dentin was also improved when adhesives with up to 10 wt% fillers were used, with no additional improvements with further packing. The use of fillers to reinforce dental adhesives may therefore be of great practical benefit by improving curing and mechanical properties.

Veneer fractures in dental zirconia-veneer prostheses are more frequent clinically than in conventional metal-ceramic systems. This is thought to be due to the increased residual stresses generated within the veneer during fabrication when zirconia is the infrastructure material. This investigation aimed to analyze the fractographic features of fractured zirconia-veneer dental crowns submitted to a load-to-failure test and to a more clinically relevant in vitro chewing simulation fatigue test. As-sintered and sandblasted zirconia copings were veneered with glass-ceramic with different coefficients of thermal expansion and cooled following two cooling rates, creating, this way, different levels of stresses within the veneer. Crowns with different thermal mismatch combinations and different cooling rates were hypothesized to present particular fracture patterns. A careful examination of >1000 scanning electron microscopy images of the fracture surfaces was conducted in search of characteristic fractographic markings of fracture mechanisms connected to the stress state of the veneer. Distinctive structural features could be observed between groups veneered with the two different glass-ceramics and between fractured crowns under static and cyclic loading. The presence/absence of residual stresses zones within the veneer have shown to play the major role in the fracture pattern of zirconia-veneer dental prostheses. For the fatigue crowns, the zirconia core was never exposed, either for sandblasted and as-sintered groups.