Stress distribution within the ceramic veneer-tooth system with butt joint and feathered edge incisal preparation designs

Objective: This in-vitro study aims to study the stress distribution within the ceramic veneer-tooth system with two incisal preparation designs—butt joint (BJ) and feathered edge (FE), and to correlate these findings to the results of our previous published load-to-failure study. Methods: Six photoelastic models were fabricated with an epoxy resin material (West System 105 Epoxy Resin/205 Fast Hardener, West System) to represent BJ and FE preparation configurations at 0° and 20° loading angulations. Lithium disilicate ceramic veneers (IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) were bonded to the BJ and FE photoelastic models using resin cement (IPS Variolink Esthetic, Ivoclar Vivadent). Each model was loaded using an Instron Universal Testing Machine at the incisal edge at a cross-head speed of 0.25 mm/min till 100 N. Results: BJ photoelastic model had more uniform distribution compared with FE photoelastic models under 0° and 20° loading angulations. Conclusion: Parallel to the results of our earlier load-to-failure published study, both incisal preparation designs affect stress distribution within the ceramic veneer-tooth system. BJ photoelastic model demonstrated a more uniform distribution compared with FE photoelastic model. Clinical Significance: BJ incisal preparation design has more uniform stress distribution than FE preparation design within the ceramic veneer-tooth system.