Bond strength of aged composites found in brackets placed by an indirect technique.

The "Thomas" indirect technique for bracket attachment produces an interface not present in direct techniques, that is, an aged composite-sealant interface. Our primary goal was to determine if a weakened interface was produced by a modified (sealant was mixed prior to placement of brackets) Thomas indirect technique when the composite was aged for 7 days. The enamel-bracket system was investigated in vitro by comparison of shear bond strengths for metal and ceramic brackets bonded to bovine teeth by a direct and indirect method. Nearly all specimens failed at the bracket-composite interface and, subsequently, no difference was found between specimens placed by direct or indirect methods. No evidence was found to suggest that an aged composite would predispose the enamel-bracket system to fail at the sealant-composite interface. The ceramic brackets used in this investigation had lower bond strengths then metal ones, but the breaking loads were similar.