Acid Etching Surface Treatment of Feldspathic , Alumina and Zirconia Ceramics : a Micro - Morphological Sem Analysis

Introduction Several attempts have been made to develop ceramic systems without metal frameworks. To date, there is an increasing range of dental ceramics allowing clinicians to combine very good esthetics with optimal mechanical properties, such as glass-infiltrated porcelain, aluminaand zirconia-reinforced ceramics . Several authors have described different surface treatments to improve the adhesion of all ceramic restorations. A recent in vitro study showed that the bond strength of resin-based cements is affected by the structural characteristics of ceramics. It has been well documented that creating a microretentive surface texture and silane priming are necessary to obtain a reliable bond to all ceramic restorations . A microretentive surface texture can be obtained with either chemical or mechanical methods. The chemical etching of traditional silica-based dental ceramics was first reported in 1983. Subsequently, several