Richard Rosenblatt Are you over etching your e.max? Even though e.max is stronger than conventional porcelain, it is treated much differently. When using a 5% HF etch, you only etch the intaglio of the restoration for 20 seconds. If you over etch emax, you will notice a frosted appearance on the inside of the restoration. If this occurs, the rods that you are bonding to are weakened and you need to remove them. How do we do this? I was talking with Don Bell from Ivoclar and he gave me the answer. Don Bell says that you need to put that over etched restoration in a zip lock baggie with alcohol and place it in an ultrasonic for 5 minutes. This will remove the over etched rods and allow you to re-etch for the appropriate time.....20 seconds. Thanks for the info Don.
