Enamel Colour, Roughness and Gloss Changes after Debonding

This chapter focuses on changes in enamel colour, gloss and roughness resulting from bonding and debonding procedures. Optical stability of the teeth is important after orthodontic treatment, regarding enamel colour, translucency and gloss. Generally, the unfavourable effects on enamel caused by bracket bonding and debonding involve a wide array of procedures during acid etching, fixed orthodontic treatment and debonding. Bovine incisors were also evaluated to assess the effectiveness of dental bleaching under orthodontic brackets. The presence of bracket bonds negatively affected the effectiveness of bleaching treatments. While bonding and debonding increased all roughness parameters, they also significantly altered gloss and colour indexes. Separately from the colour and roughness variables, the perception of the texture and colour of a surface is influenced by the variance of its gloss. Effects on the enamel surface can also be found when bonding with a resin-reinforced glass ionomer without prior acid etching.