eFiber is impregnated e-glass fiber with both PMMA and BIS-GMA (light cure) to allow the fibers to bond with light cure composites, acrylic, and etched enamel (28 MPa of strength).

eFiber is indicated for light cure indirect and direct procedures.

• Prevent Stress Cracks from starting before they begin
• Increase fatigue resistance
• Increase flexural strength
• Improve Esthetics–the fibers are transluscent; no unsightly metal wires!
• Happy patients–eliminate broken prosthesis and non-revenue chairside time

Adequate adhesion of the fibers to the polymer matrix is the most important factor for strength. Bonding requires proper impregnation of the fibers. Materials that bond result in a 100% strength increase in fatigue resistance and an 8x increase in flexural strength over non-reinforced materials. Fracture is a combination of fatigue and flexural stresses.

Adequate adhesion of the fibers to the polymer matrix is the most important factor for strength. Bonding requires proper impregnation of the fibers. Materials that bond result in a 100% strength increase in fatigue resistance and an 8x increase in flexural strength over non-reinforced materials. Fracture is a combination of fatigue and flexural stresses.

The three point bending test measures flexural strength.

Flexural strength is the amount of biting force a material can withstand before breaking.

Polyethylene fibers, metal, and kevlar do not bond to polymers. These materials create two thinner, weaker, prone-to-break layers of polymer around the mechanically retained reinforcement. This gap between reinforcement material and polymer also harbors bacteria. The two SEM’s below show the bonding of impregnated e-glass fiber with polymer compared to the lack of bonding of plasma coated polyethylene fiber with polymer.

A stress fracture will continue to grow until it meets reinforcement strong enough to stop the crack.

The translucent, aesthetic e-glass fibers allow for this optimum exterior placement–to stop the crack before it begins. The bonding and ability to grind and polish the fiber eliminate the annoying “fraying” of other reinforcement materials (FIG 1).

Materials that lack aesthetics and can not be polished–polyethylene, kevlar, metal–must be buried deep inside the prosthesis and do not materially increase (FIG 2) either flexural or fatigue strength.

It is often assumed that the strength of the reinforcement alone increases the toughness of the polymer. Kevlar, metal, and polyethylene are all very strong materials. However, since they do not bond to polymers, these materials create a “sandwich” effect wherein the thin layers of polymer are actually weaker than before “reinforcement” and do not stop the stress fractures.

Adequate adhesion of the fibers to the polymer matrix is the most important factor for strength. Bonding requires proper impregnation of the fibers.

Bondable eFiber creates a laminating effect and become integral to the parent acrylic or composite resin.

The e-glass fiber allows the user to finish, polish, grind, reduce, and adjust the prosthesis. This allows for a smooth finish, eliminating a rough surface that will irritate the patient. This smooth finish also allows for superior hygiene, as bacteria adheres poorly to smooth surfaces.

Fiber reinforcement should always be placed perpendicular to the potential fracture forces.

The unidirectional–such as eFiber–is stronger than mesh due to the bulk of fiber strands included in each bundle. The fiber is ideal when the direction of the stresses is known. For optimum results with the very thin Mesh, two layers of the Mesh are recommended, with placement also being perpendicular to the stress forces.

What are the advantages of Preat eFiber and Mesh?

• Strength (e-glass fibers and bonding!)
• Easy to grind and finish…stop breakage before it begins
• Bonding to all compositeand acrylic resins
• Light cure or self cure
• Two types of materials–mesh and fiber
• Easy to handle; no special tools needed—Improve productivity
• Great esthetics….materials are translucent when activated/wetted
• Chairside technique can be applied to limit the number of patient visits

All of the above procedures can be done with the eFiber starter kit. We strongly recommend using Perma Mesh and eFiber instead of Perma Fiber. The eFiber is much easier to handle, stronger, and can be easily light cured chairside or at the bench–it saves time!