All-ceramic & Zirconium restorations

All-ceramic & Zirconium restorations, either crowns or bridges, are tooth-colored, natural-looking restorations, used when a tooth is heavily damaged and needs to be circumferentially supported (crown) or when a missing tooth needs to be replaced and implant placement is not an option (bridge). Besides optimum aesthetic appearance which looks like natural teeth, these restorations show maximum strength and resilience against chewing forces, and therefore can last up to 15-20 years, provided the fact that oral hygiene and professional teeth cleaning are kept. Zirconia is a very strong material, and despite the fact that it looks white, it is regarded as a metal. In dentistry Y-TZP zirconia is used, which is stabilized with yttrium in order to avoid water absorption and swelling. All-ceramic or zirconium restorations consist of a tooth-colored substructure, either being ceramic or zirconia, which is then covered with porcelain in both cases, in order to give a beautiful appearance and translucency. Development in dental materials technology have provided us with a more modern solution for zirconia restorations which do not require any porcelain coverage. These monolithic zirconia restorations are digitally manufactured with CAD/CAM (computer-aided design / computer-assisted manufacturing) technology and due to the fact that the restorations are milled from completely homogenous zirconia blocks, superior strength is exhibited. With CAD/CAM technology the impression of the restored teeth is digitally scanned and the restoration is designed at the computer in detail and finally milled by the robotic milling center. If porcelain coverage or external staining for customization is needed, the ceramist undertakes the task to finish the digital restoration. Ceramics, porcelains and zirconium used at Smiles Dental Clinic are manufactured in Lichtenstein and an authenticity certification which proves their optimum quality is available upon request.

By avoiding the use of conventional metals, like at traditional porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations, natural appearance of the crowns or bridges is obtained and the anti-aesthetic grayness which pops up around gums after a few years with porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, never happens. Moreover, absence of metallic substructure mimics the optical characteristics, the translucency and iridescence of natural teeth. Since all-ceramic prosthetic restorations are semi-transparent and therefore more translucent than zirconium crowns and bridges, they offer the best color-match that can be possibly achieved. On the other side, since zirconia is stronger, it is preferred in cases when heavy masticatory loading is expected, for example for back teeth or extended bridges. Due to its opaque substructure, zirconium restorations are able to cover discolored or stained teeth better than all-ceramics.

The most important advantage of ceramic and zirconium restorations is the maintenance of their initial lustrous and glow for as long as they stay in the mouth, since their polished surface does not allow adherence of bacteria and stains which may harm the teeth and the restorations. However, their price – they cost roughly twice as much as conventional ones – can be regarded as a drawback. Their duration exceeds 15 years, provided that oral hygiene exercised daily and professional teeth cleaning is scheduled every 6 – 12 months. Habits such as nail biting, ice chewing, holding various objects with teeth or opening soda cans should also be avoided. In cases of teeth grinding, after ceramic restorations are bonded, a protective mouth guard is manufactured to avoid overloading and relieve stress and is worn at night during sleeping.