Treatment of Enamel Surfaces After Bracket Debonding: Case Reports and Long-term Follow-ups

SUMMARY After bracket debonding, residual bonded material may be observed on the enamel surface. When not properly removed, this residual material can interfere with the surface smoothness of the enamel, potentially resulting in staining at the resin/enamel interface and contributing to biofilm accumulation. Clinical case reports demonstrate clinical procedures to remove residual bonded material after bracket debonding. A water-cooled fine tapered 3195 FF diamond bur was used to remove the residual bonded material. Subsequently, the enamel surface was treated with Opalustre microabrasive compound. After one week, overnight dental bleaching was initiated using 10% carbamide peroxide in custom-formed trays for four weeks. The enamel microabrasion technique was found to be effective for polishing the enamel surface and for reestablishing the dental esthetics associated with dental bleaching. Longitudinal clinical controls of other clinical cases are presented.