The desire of patients to have aesthetic, harmless orthopedic structures in the oral cavity with a maximum lifespan promotes the development of new technologies in prosthetics.

The advent of metal-ceramics more than 40 years ago seemed to resolve all issues in prosthetics, both in the anterior and masticatory sections of the dental arch. However, the experience with metal-ceramic crowns revealed a number of significant drawbacks.

The most significant of these can be divided into three groups:         

—Limited aesthetics.

Natural teeth possess a certain transparency. The manufacturing technology of metal-ceramic crowns involves a metal framework inside. It is the metal that prevents these crowns from looking maximally natural.

—Changes in the gums around metal-ceramic crowns.

Many patients complain about a dark rim around the gums, others about the color change (bluish, reddening) of the gums themselves around metal-ceramic crowns. The reason is the presence of the metal frame, which has a negative impact on the surrounding tissues. Naturally, such changes do not occur in everyone, but the number of complaints is very large.

—Development of allergic reactions.

Every year, the number of people suffering from allergic reactions increases worldwide. The same trend is observed in dentistry. The number of patients with intolerance to alloys used for prosthetics is growing.

Non-metal constructions are devoid of the above-mentioned disadvantages. They possess transparency similar to natural teeth, and the absence of metal makes the transition between the crown and the tooth virtually invisible.

Unique properties of zirconium dioxide (zirconia) for making dental crowns:

All the advantages of zirconia dental crowns come from the unique properties of the material itself – zirconium dioxide, and from a fundamentally new, highly precise technology for making crowns based on zirconium dioxide, briefly referred to as CAD/CAM.

The creation of a non-metal crown using CAD/CAM technology (Computer-Aided Design / Computer-Aided Manufacturing) is fundamentally different from hand-casting metal-ceramics. Based on an impression taken by a doctor, a model is created, which is scanned by a laser to produce a computer model of the future crown. The manufacturing of the crown occurs in two stages.

In the first stage, unlike the previous “manual” method, a crown framework is made from a solid piece of zirconium dioxide on a computerized machine through 3-D scanning, with the framework shade matched to the color of the tooth. In the second stage, the framework is covered with a ceramic mass. Full automation of the process eliminates the possibility of any errors, as the system records even micron deviations. This achieves perfect accuracy of the crown fit, which guarantees high aesthetics and the absence of inflammation in the gum area.

Advantages of prosthetics using dental crowns made of zirconium dioxide (zirconia)

• Aesthetics in tooth prosthetics using crowns made of zirconium dioxide (zirconia)
• The zirconia crown framework is white and has natural transparency and exceeds the strength of metal.
• For the first time, color matching is carried out not only at the level of the ceramic coating but at the level of the framework.
• A zirconia-based crown is thinner than a metal-ceramic crown and fits more accurately to the tooth root.
• Biocompatibility in tooth prosthetics using crowns made of zirconium dioxide (zirconia)

Zirconium dioxide is a hypoallergenic material, and in terms of biological compatibility, it significantly surpasses any alloys, including gold.

Main situations for the application of zirconium dioxide in tooth restoration

• individual crowns
• bridge prostheses
• veneers
• prosthetics on implants

For many years, the global dentistry has been searching for materials that would be ideal for prosthetics, possess exceptional aesthetic properties, strength, and at the same time, be well tolerated by the human body without causing allergies. “High-tech ceramic” – zirconium dioxide – has become such a material, proving its quality and unusual strength.

Currently, there are long-term results from the use of zirconium dioxide in dental practice. This technology has proven its effectiveness. Thus, prosthetics based on zirconium dioxide is the most modern method of creating orthopedic structures.

The high aesthetics, strength, and biological compatibility of zirconium dioxide make it an ideal material for prosthetics in the oral cavity.