Tooth color changes associated with the bracket bonding and debonding

Kim, Seok Pil; Hwang, In Nam; Cho, Jin Hyoung; Hwang, Hyeon Shik

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tooth color changes of resin bonding sites and their adjacent sites on orthodontic bracket bonding. Sixty extracted sound premolars were used and the tooth color was recorded according to the CIE L(*)a(*)b(*) color system using a spectrophotometer. The tooth colors of the twenty premolars were measured and compared before bracket bonding and after removal. On a further twenty premolars, the tooth color was measured before and after only primer application. In the change of L(*) values, according to the bracket bonding and primer application, the lightness was decreased, and in the change of a(*) and b(*) values, the color was changed into a more yellowish color. The color differences (delta E(*)) were calculated from the L(*)a(*)b(*) values and compared with the standard value of clinical detection (delta E(*)=3.7). The color differences between before the bracket bonding and after removal noted exceeded the standard value and those of between before and after the primer application were not larger than the standard value. Toothbrushing was performed after application of the primer to evaluate the color changes according to the primer abrasion. As a control, toothbrushing was performed on the last twenty premolars. The color differences noted were larger than the standard value after toothbrushing. Also, to evaluate the color changes of the tooth which is exposed to sun irradiation after bracket removal, additional photoaging was performed and the color was measured for all teeth. The additional color differences after photoaging were smaller than the standard value. The above results suggest that the tooth color changes after fixed orthodontic treatment.