Prevention of secondary caries adjacent to tooth restorations in composite. KU Leuven
Polymerization of a composite restoration is accompanied by volumetric shrinkage, due to closer packing of the molecules when the polymer network is formed. This shrinkage can generate stress within the material, the surrounding tooth structure and at their mutual interface; as a consequence it may result in micro-cracking, interfacial de-bonding, gap formation and eventually secondary caries. The magnitude of the stress depends on the ...