Effects of Alumina Sand Blasting on the Orthodontic Bracket Surface

The aim of this study was to observe the characteristics of the adhesion surface for different bracket systems after being sandblasted with alumina particles. The brackets that we used in our study were: ceramic(Fairfield Orthodontics), composite(US Orthodontics), sapphire and metallic(American Orthodontics). Sandblasting was performed,with 50μm alumina abrasive particles (Al2O3), for a 3 s period. The sandblaster (Microetcher II, Danville) was 10 mm away from the bracket surface. After the sandblasting process, the adhesion surface was examined using a portable microscope (Dino-Lite AM 4515T8 ). This type of mechanical treatment creates a very fine roughness on the surface area, and increases mechanical and chemical bonding between the tooth surface and the bracket base.