Effect of Repeated Firings of Porcelain on Bond Strength of Two Base Metal Alloys

The formation of oxides on the surface of the metal are proven to contribute to the formation of strong bonding. However, The base metal alloys are expected to exhibit more oxidation than high gold alloys, increase in oxide layer thickness due to repeated firing in them can reduce the bond strength. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of repeated porcelain firing on the bond strength of two base metal alloys (Minalux and Verabond II). Sixteen metal plates (20x5x0.5) from each alloy were cast and prepared according to the manufacturer's instruction. Porcelain with uniform thickness (Imm) was applied on the middle one third of metal plates. After this stage, each alloy group divided to three subgroups. Group I was fired for the second time to form the final glaze, group II and III were fired two and four more times respectively. Specimens were subjected to 3-point flexural test in a digital tritest machine. Results showed no significant differences between bond strength of two alloys. Also results showed repeated firing had no significant effect on bond strength. Due to these findings, this study support similarity of two alloys (Minalux and Verabond II) in their bond strength with porcelain.