Success of Feather Margin Preparation for Full Metal Prosthodontic Crowns in the Canine Teeth in 84 Pet and Working Dogs (2005-2017)

Medical and dental records of Veterinary Dental Specialties and Oral Surgery were searched to identify dogs that received full metal prosthodontic crowns on canine teeth, using a feather or knife edge preparation between 2005 and 2017. A total of 160 teeth in 84 dogs were included in the study. Current follow-up by telephone, electronic mail, or electronic messaging was conducted, in addition to thorough record review for in-person recheck examinations. Treatment was considered successful if the prosthodontic crown was in place and no further or additional injury to the tooth had occurred at the time of reexamination, owner contact, or patient death. Tooth fracture apical to the prosthodontic crown occurred in 2 (1.25%) cases, bond failure between the tooth and the cement or the cement and the crown occurred in a single case (0.625%), and one metal crown required replacement after 3 years due to wear (0.625%), for an overall failure rate of 2.5%. These results suggest that feather preparation of the margin is at least as, if not more, successful as the more commonly accepted and performed chamfer margin, and thus is a successful, practical and durable option for prosthodontic crown treatment in dog canine teeth.

Epoxy Die Attach Combined With Face-Up Die Bonding for Improved XYZ Placement Accuracy

Epoxy die attach is widely used in microcircuit assembly and enjoys advantages such as ease of deposition, fast curing, reworkability, and non-toxicity. These qualities also make it suitable for automated mass production. However, this method falls short when high placement accuracy is desired as the die can shift on uncured epoxy leading to die displacement from its original location. Gold to gold face-up bonding is another method utilized in microelectronics packaging given its proven bonding reliability and high placement accuracy for small devices. Nevertheless, it is difficult to achieve a reliable bond using this method for relatively larger devices. The nonplanarity of the bonding collet or the variation in the height of the gold bumps results in a tilted die attach and/or a weak bond between the die and the substrate. Moreover, CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) mismatch between the die, the gold bumps, and/or the substrate leads to bond failure due to temperature fatigue. This paper discusses a hybrid method to take advantage of the strengths of both methods mentioned above, culminating in a reliable process with high XYZ placement accuracy. To apply this method, epoxy is first dispensed on a gold-plated substrate. Using a flip chip machine, samples with plated gold bumps on their ground side are then placed on the substrate. The gold bumps are mainly used as targets and stand-offs to improve the placement accuracy and to control epoxy glue-line thickness. The force applied on the die, the time the force is applied, and the substrate temperature are controlled for optimum die attach. Moreover, along with the force applied by the vacuum tip, epoxy is partially cured on the flip chip machine heated stage before it is moved to an oven to complete the cure process. Die shear test results before and after temperature conditioning are compared with standard epoxy die attach and gold to gold face-up bonding for identical samples and the advantages are discussed.

Safe Debonding of Fixed Appliances: A Comparison of Traditional Techniques and LODI Devices on Different Bracket Types in Terms of Enamel Cracks, Site of Bond Failure, and Bracket Reusability

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the debonding of three different bracket types by means of three popular debonding methods. A total of 180 human third molars was divided into six groups, consisting of 20 teeth each. Three bracket types were bonded to the enamel (metal brackets with an integral base and a foil mesh base, and ceramic brackets) and three methods of bracket debonding were employed (bracket removal pliers, Weingart pliers, and Lift-Off Debonding Instrument). The samples were examined with scanning electron microscopy to assess the number of enamel cracks, measure the area of adhesive remaining on the enamel, and calculate the adhesive remnant index (ARI). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the number of enamel cracks after bracket debonding. The amount of adhesive remaining on the teeth after the brackets were removed was significantly different between the groups. LODI and Weingart pliers are considered to be the safest methods of debonding brackets with an integral base, while LODI is the best tool for brackets with foil mesh. Bracket removal pliers are considered to be the preferred method for ceramic bracket debonding.

Frequency of Bonded Bracket Failure in Patients, Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study is to determine frequency of bracket bond failure in relation to age, gender, most commonly involved tooth and quadrant. METHODOLOGY: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 100 patients with ages ranging from 10 to 30 years needing corrective orthodontic treatment were selected for the study. This survey was conducted at Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi. The survey was initiated on 30th November 2019 and was concluded on 30th May 2020. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the frequency of bonded bracket failure in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. The bonded metallic brackets were light cured for 40 seconds, and initial alignment arch wires were inserted. Bonded bracket failure was recorded over a period of six months. RESULTS: The initial debonding results of the present study demonstrated a high number of debonded brackets in mandibular dentition as compared to the maxillary dentition. Whereas, when the teeth were debonded for the second time, a greater number of maxillary teeth were found to be affected by the debonding of the brackets. Both genders demonstrated a greater rate of bracket debonding in the second premolar area and lowest in the molar area. In our study, age and gender had no significant relationship with bracket bond failure and teeth involved in debonding. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of bonded bracket detachment during orthodontic treatment is very common. Our study concluded that females were more affected by the bracket bond failure as compared to the males along with the second premolar being the most commonly associated tooth during an active orthodontic treatment. KEYWORDS: Bonded brackets, Bracket failure, Frequency, Orthodontic treatment, Orthodontics

Interface Bonding Properties between Nonwater Reaction Polyurethane Polymer Materials and Concrete

The concentric pushing method was used to study the bonding properties between polymer and concrete. This paper studied the influence of polymer density, environmental temperature, and moisture content of concrete between polymer and concrete on the bond strength. The results indicated that the bond failure of specimens occurred mainly when the polymer was pushed out. Furthermore, increasing the polymer density increases the bond strength at the polymer-concrete interface but decreases as the moisture content of the concrete increases. The environmental temperature affects the curing time, and the bond strength increases with increasing temperature. Under the same condition, the bond strength was influenced by the roughness of the interface. This study provides references for the construction design and enhances polymer materials and matrix application for repairing cracks in concrete dams.

Retention Forces of Monolithic CAD/CAM Crowns Adhesively Cemented to Titanium Base Abutments—Effect of Saliva Contamination Followed by Cleaning of the Titanium Bond Surface

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of saliva contamination and the cleaning of the bond surface of titanium base (ti-base) abutments on the bonding stability and retention force values. The bond surface of the ti-base abutments was treated with airborne-particle abrasion. After contamination, the ti-base abutments underwent different cleaning protocols: water spray (H2O); alcohol (ALC); suspension of zirconium particles (SZP); reapplied airborne-particle abrasion (APA); and a control condition without contamination and cleaning (CTR). All lithium disilicate crowns were bonded to the ti-base abutments using a primer and a self-curing composite. Bonded specimens underwent thermo-mechanical aging. Bond failure analysis and pull-off testing were performed. Bond failure occurred more frequently in groups H2O, ALC, SZP, and APA (p < 0.05). Significant differences in retention force values were only found between CTR and ALC (p < 0.05). Specimens which did not show bond failure after ageing had higher retention force values than the specimens that showed bond failure (p < 0.05). Saliva contamination with cleaning can degrade the bonding properties to titanium. For the retention force values, only the protocol with alcohol after contamination could not restore the values.

Impact of Concrete Mix Ingredients and Surface Treatments on Epoxy Overlay Performance

Epoxy overlays are applied on bridge decks after curing concrete in patches and repairs for 28 days. A tensile bond pull-off strength of at least 250 pounds per square inch (psi) is expected from a properly applied overlay. Even though the overlay performance at room temperature is mostly satisfactory, the performance at elevated temperatures is not convincing. The degradation of mechanical and adhesion properties of epoxy, shear stress at the concrete/overlay interface caused by thermal incompatibility, and the interface moisture vapor pressure are the commonly cited parameters for poor bond strength at elevated temperatures. A combined effect of these parameters results in the most unfavorable failure mode (which is bond failure at the concrete/overlay interface) at a strength lower than the specified limit of 250 psi. The moisture migration through concrete depends on many factors including moisture content along the depth of concrete, pore microstructure, exposure condition, and drying period. This study investigated the impact of concrete mix ingredients and surface treatments on the thin epoxy overlay bond strength. The results show that the use of concrete mixes with slag and penetrating sealant pretreatment improves the bond strength.