November 15, 2023 | Prof. Paulo Monteiro
The goal of veneers is to achieve the beautiful, long-lasting smile your patients want and deserve. But the final step of the procedure can be challenging. Adhesive cementation is technique-sensitive – and it is crucial to long-term esthetics and durability. Not only are ceramics fragile and thin, it’s also a highly esthetic procedure where any mistake will be visible to the patient. Ideally, the seating appointment should be the pleasant start of a life-changing esthetic makeover for the patient – and this means cultivating a simple yet efficient cementation protocol. This protocol can be broken down into seven steps: 1. Clean the preparation 2. Try-in for fit and esthetics 3. Isolate and final try-in 4. Veneer pre-treatment 5. Preparation pre-treatment 6. Cement application, seating, and initial clean-up 7. Light cure and final clean-up In this article, we’ll explore each step and provide tips and tricks for efficient, esthetic, long-term results.
First, remove the provisional restorations and any excess cement, and thoroughly clean the area, as anything remaining could interfere with the fit or color (fig 1). A pumice slurry is a good option for the mechanical cleaning of the preparation. The walls and occlusal areas can be cleaned with a small brush, but the sensitive marginal areas close to the gingiva should instead be cleaned with a foam pellet. Never use sodium bicarbonate-based cleaning agents or powders – they can inhibit bonding. Alternatively, 3M™ Clinpro™ Glycine Prophy Powder can be used. Unlike other prophy powders, it contains glycine, not sodium bicarbonate, making it safe to use.
Figure 1: Cleaned veneer and crown preparations on the central incisors ready for try-in. Images courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
3M™ RelyX™ Veneer Try-In Pastes in various shades matching 3M™ RelyX™ Veneer and 3M™ RelyX™ Universal Resin Cement. Image courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
Figure 5: Final try-in with isolation in place. Image courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro
Figure 7: Cleaning of a glass ceramic veneer after etching with a strong water spray. Image courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro
But what if the lab has already completed etching or sandblasting before delivering the restorations to you? In this case, a more intense cleaning protocol is required to remove any contamination that might have occurred during try-in. For glass-ceramic restorations, this can be achieved by rubbing with phosphoric acid for one minute before rinsing with water. In contrast, phosphoric acid should not be used on zirconia, as it does impair the bond. Here sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or dedicated cleaning agents can be used to remove try-in contaminations from pre-sandblasted bonding surfaces. Once washed, the glass-ceramic veneer should be dried before applying a silane. 1 Many silane options are available, from stand-alone silane primers to universal primers with a silane component to all-in-one universal adhesives containing silane, such as 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive. The latter has a proven silane formulation that enables bond strength to glass ceramics on the level of classic separate silane primers.2 In addition to the silane component, Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive also contains MDP for priming zirconia veneers.Figure 8: Application of 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive as the silane primer on the etched glass ceramic veneer bonding surface. Image courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
After rubbing in Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive for 20 seconds (fig 8) air dry for 5 sec until all solvent is removed and then protect the coated surface from light until applying the cement for seating.Figure 10: Etching of the preparations with phosphoric acid. Image courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
Now it is time to apply the bonding system recommended for the cement in use, e.g., Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive for RelyX Veneer Cement or RelyX Universal Resin Cement.Figure 11: Application of 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive. Images courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
After protecting the neighboring teeth with PTFE tape, Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive is rubbed in for 20 seconds and then air dried until all solvent is completely removed and the adhesive no longer moves (fig 11, 12). Correctly applied adhesive will form a glossy film throughout the entire bonding surface. Do not light cure the adhesive to avoid accidentally ending up with a thicker layer than intended.Figure 12: Air drying of 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive. Images courtesy of Dr. Paulo Monteiro.
Figure 15: Final excess clean-up with a blade. (Image courtesy of Prof Paulo Monteiro)
Every step of the veneer procedure is fundamental to the outcome, but cementation is the culmination of all those efforts. And it can be challenging. In my experience, the recipe for success is to follow the recommendations above, get to know your materials, develop a streamlined protocol, and use proven products. Together, these steps can lead you to excellent results – and satisfied patients (fig 16).
Figure 16: 2-month follow-up image of the final result. (Image courtesy of Prof Paulo Monteiro)