Comparison of the flexibility of two different stainless steel crowns (3M and MIB) while seating on primary molars

Materials and methods: In this in vitro study, 13 extracted intact maxillary second molars were mounted 1 mm lower than the CEJ and the appropriate crown size was selected from the 3M and MIB brands. Preparation of the teeth for ssc was performed by a pediatric dentist. Sufficient seating and retention of the crowns were evaluated. The photographs of crown margins were taken by a digital camera and crown circumference measured with the Auto Cad software. Then, the ZWICK machine measured the force required to place each of the crowns on the tooth. Using the proportionality between the measured force and the circumference of the margin of each crown, the level of force equilibrated in each crown was obtained and compared.