Notching of orthodontic bonding resin to facilitate ceramic bracket debond--an ex vivo investigation.

This ex vivo study assessed the potential of introducing a notch in the bond layer, as a means of facilitating the removal of ceramic brackets. Sixty extracted premolar teeth were divided into three groups of 20 teeth and bonded with Intrigue brackets using Concise chemically-cured adhesive. The bonding technique was modified with groups 1 and 2 by introducing a notch in the bond layer. Group 1 was notched from the gingival aspect, group 2 from the occlusal, and group 3 served as a control. The brackets were removed by applying a shear load from the gingival aspect using an Instron universal testing machine. The mean force to debond was calculated for each group. The results showed that introducing a notch significantly reduced the mean and maximal debond forces. This was confirmed with Weibull analysis with the notched specimens having a higher probability of failure at any force. In addition, ceramic bracket fracture was eliminated. Notching the bonding resin may be helpful in facilitating the removal of ceramic brackets.