Figure 5.
Surface characteristics of the dentin specimens before and after cyclic loading. a) micrograph obtained from the tensile surface of dentin specimens evaluated in lactic acid after 1 million cycles. Note the open lumens evident on this surface, which are generally covered by a smear layer. b) comparison of the surface topography of a specimen before cyclic loading (control) and a specimen evaluated in lactic acid after 1 million cycles of loading. c) profile valley from (b) with measure of the valley radius of curvature.
