Fracture mechanism of coronal teenage dentin

Abstract

The structure of coronal teenage dentin and the development of cracks in it are studied on microand nanolevels. The material is found to fail according to a ductile mechanism on a microlelvel and according to a ductile–brittle mechanism on a nanoscale. This behavior is similar to the failure of a polyethylene film and rubber, when significant elastic and irreversible deformation precedes crack growth. The viscoelastic behavior can be considered as the reaction of dentin to an applied mechanical load.