Properties of Zirconia, Lithium Disilicate Glass Ceramics, and VITA ENAMIC® Hybrid Ceramic Dental Materials Following Ultra-Short Femtosecond (30 fs) Laser Irradiation

This study investigated the dose-dependent changes in the chemical composition of three dental ceramic materials—zirconia, lithium disilicate (LD), and VITA ENAMIC® hybrid composite (VITA En)—following irradiation with an ultra-short femtosecond (fs) laser (800 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz) in an ambient air en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2024-09, Vol.14 (17), p.7641
Main Authors: Lagunov, Victor L., Ali, Bakhtiar, Walsh, Laurence J., Cameron, Andrew B., Litvinyuk, Igor V., Rybachuk, Maksym, George, Roy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
Aesthetics
Biocompatibility
Composite materials
Crack propagation
dental composite materials
dental materials
Dental restorative materials
Dentistry
Digitization
Lasers
lithium disilicate
Manufacturing
material composition and properties
Mechanical properties
Morphology
Polymers
Transplants & implants
ultra-short femtosecond laser
zirconia
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Summary:This study investigated the dose-dependent changes in the chemical composition of three dental ceramic materials—zirconia, lithium disilicate (LD), and VITA ENAMIC® hybrid composite (VITA En)—following irradiation with an ultra-short femtosecond (fs) laser (800 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz) in an ambient air environment using average laser power (76 mW) and scanning speeds (50, 100, and 200 mm/s), simulating dental treatment processes. The chemical composition of the ablated regions was analyzed using energy dispersive spectroscopy. All irradiated samples showed increased carbon content (by up to 42%) and reduced oxygen (by up to 33%). The observed increase in C content is likely attributed to a combination of surface reactions, adsorption of carbon from the ambient environment, and carbon deposition from the laser-induced plasma, all facilitated by the high-energy conditions created by fs-laser pulses. Scanning electron microscopy revealed ablation with progressive controlled melting and recrystallization, with an absence of pile-up features typically associated with significant thermal damage. These findings demonstrate that ultra-short fs-laser irradiation induces highly controlled, dose-dependent changes in the chemical composition and surface morphology of dental ceramic materials.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app14177641