ORIGINAL ARTICLE Porcelain laminate veneer conditioning for orthodontic bonding: SEM-EDX analysis Sertac Aksakalli & Zehra Ileri & Tevfik Yavuz & Meral Arslan Malkoc & Nilgun Ozturk Received: 13 December 2013 /Accepted: 17 October 2014 # Springer-Verlag London 2014 Abstract The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the effects of different surface treatments and laser irra- diation on the bond strength of brackets bonded to porcelain laminate veneer. Porcelain laminate veneer specimens were em- bedded in the centers of acrylic resin blocks. Thirty-nine teeth were used for shear bond strength testing and the remaining three (one tooth for each group) were used for evaluation of the debonded bracket interface. Specimens were randomly divided into three groups, each containing 13 specimens. The details of the groups are as follows: Group SB, sandblasting with alumina particles (50 μm); Group HFA, 9.6 % hydrofluoric acid etching; Group ER, erbium-doped yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Er: YAG) irradiation (from 1 mm distance, 2 W, 10 Hz for 10 s). After conditioning, the upper central brackets were bonded to the por- celain surfaces. Porcelain laminate veneers were examined under stereomicroscope for adhesive remnant index and surface damage after debonding. The highest shear bond strength values were obtained with Group HFA (10.8±3.8 MPa) and Group ER (9.3 ±1.5 MPa), whereas Group SB revealed the lowest values. Scan- ning electron microscopy energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis revealed that the silicon level in the porcelain decreased after debonding in all groups. The sandblasting method did not demonstrate any ideal bond strength values; however, the 9.6 % hydrofluoric acid etching and Er: YAG laser did. There were no significant differences among all groups in terms of laminate surface damages. The Er: YAG laser therefore can be selected for ideal bond strength and minimal damage to porcelain laminates. Keywords Laser . Laminate . Orthodontics . Bonding . Dentistry Introduction There is an increasing demand for orthodontic treatment in adults, and orthodontists are more interested in bonding brackets to porcelain [1]. Until now, different surface treatment methods have been used, including sandblasting (SB) [2], hydrofluoric acid (HFA) application [ 3], and deglazing of the porcelain [4]. There are several advantages and disadvantages of these methods. HFA application can provide adequate shear bond strength (SBS) but HF can be dangerous when it comes into contact with oral soft tissues, and it must be handled carefully [5]. Other surface roughness methods can be assumed for this reason to induce similar or greater surface roughness on porcelains. Another promising technique for the surface treatment of por- celains is laser irradiation. After the introduction of the ruby laser in 1960, different types of lasers have been developed [ 6]. Some lasers used in orthodontics are erbium-doped yttrium–aluminum– garnet (Er: YAG), neodymium-doped yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd: YAG), and erbium-doped yttrium–scandium–gallium–garnet (Er,Cr: YSGG). These kinds of lasers have been used for enamel conditioning to bond brackets and studies of these lasers have revealed good results [ 6, 7]. However, there is no consensus in the literature regarding the best surface conditioning method to pro- duce optimal bond strength based on the brackets and porcelain or S. Aksakalli (*) Department of Orthodontics, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: sertacaksakal@gmail.com Z. Ileri Department of Orthodontics, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey T. Yavuz Department of Prosthodontics, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey M. A. Malkoc Department of Prosthodontics, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey N. Ozturk Department of Prosthodontics, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey Lasers Med Sci DOI 10.1007/s10103-014-1682-5