Abstract
In this experiment, acid etching was applied to the surface of teeth, and the subsequent changes in the enamel surface were observed. This acid etching has been widely applied in recent years as an indispensable method in clinics. The experiment was conducted on teeth with different histories after eruption in order to find out the differences in reaction to the treatment.
For this experiment, immature permanent teeth and those which had erupted more than 20 year ealier, all of them being the lower buccal first molars, were used. The mesial half of each. of the teeth was given acid etching in the buccal surface and the process was observed immediately thereafter with SEM and TEM using the replica method. At the same time, the surface of each tooth was observed with the naked eye, and photographs were also taken. As a result, it was suggested that there were changes occurring in the reactivity of the tooth surface after eruption. It was observed that, between the immature teeth and the matured teeth, there was a differences observed immediately after acid-etching not only in the form but also some in the length of the required flattening of the enamel tooth-surface. This resulted from the changes taking place following the application of the acid-etching.
Furthermore, with regard to the flattening of the enamel-surface and the recovery of the luster in the buccal surface after the application of the acidetching, it was noted that the mechanical abrasion due to brushing was greater that has been reported in the past.
