The effect of Remin Pro(R) on bleached enamel hardness: an in-vitro study.

INTRODUCTION: Remineralization as a treatment procedure has received a lot of attention both from clinicians as well as researchers. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of Remin Pro(R) on enamel microhardness after bleaching the teeth with McInnes bleaching agent using Vickers microhardness tester. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, freshly extracted ten central incisors were taken which were subjected to baseline indentation by using Vickers microhardness indenter and then McInnes bleaching solution was applied for 5 min to demineralize these teeth. Remin Pro a newer remineralizing agent was applied for 7 days, which showed an increase in microhardness at the end of 7 days. RESULTS: The values were subjected for statistical analysis using paired t-test. All the samples showed a decrease in the microhardness after bleaching with McInnes solution. The decrease in mean hardness from baseline to demineralization was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). However, remineralizing the same tooth with Remin Pro for 7 days, showed an increase in hardness, which was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: McInnes bleaching agent decreases the microhardness of enamel and Remin Pro(R) used in the study causes an increase in the microhardness of bleached enamel.