Chapter 24), Although the Color of the Ceramic Core Is Important Part of Contemporary Dental Practice
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C H A P T E R 2 5 All-Ceramic Restorations Isabelle L. Denry, Contributing Author All-ceramic inlays, onlays, veneers, and crowns can be reduced the amount of porosity and therefore resulted in some of the most esthetically pleasing restorations cur- restorations that were denser, stronger, and more trans- rently available. They can be made to match natural lucent than could be achieved with air firing.7 tooth structure accurately in terms of color, surface texture, and translucency. Well-made all-ceramic restora- tions can be virtually indistinguishable from unrerestored HIGH-STRENGTH CERAMICS natural teeth (Fig. 25-1). Traditionally, ceramic crowns have been made on a The chief disadvantage of the early restorations was their platinum matrix and were referred to as porcelain jacket low strength, which limited their use to low-stress situa- crowns. More recently, improved materials and techniques tions, such as those encountered by anterior teeth. Thus have been introduced in an attempt to overcome disad- fracture was a fairly common occurrence, which prompted vantages inherent in that traditional method. These the development of higher strength materials.8,9 These improvements, particularly the use of higher strength developments have followed two paths. One approach is ceramics and adhesives for bonding the ceramic restora- to use two ceramic materials to fabricate the restoration. tion to tooth structure, have led to a resurgence of A high-strength but nonesthetic ceramic core material is interest in all-ceramic restorations, including the more veneered with a lower strength, esthetic porcelain. This conservative inlays and veneers (Fig. 25-2). With increas- approach is similar to the metal-ceramic technique (see ing esthetics demand, all-ceramic restorations are an Chapter 24), although the color of the ceramic core is important part of contemporary dental practice. more easily masked than that of a metal substructure. In this chapter, the historical background of all- The other approach is the development of a ceramic that ceramic restorations and more recent developments is combines good esthetics with high strength. This has the reviewed. The laboratory procedures necessary for the obvious attraction of not needing the additional thickness fabrication of all-ceramic inlays, veneers, and crowns are of material to mask a high-strength core. reviewed, and the alternatives are compared. Monolithic zirconia restorations10,11 provide a good The importance of the design of the tooth preparation compromise of outstanding strength and esthetics that to the success of ceramic restorations cannot be overem- are acceptable for posterior restorations. The restora- phasized (see Chapter 11). tions are generally colored by dipping of the presintered material in special colorants,12 although the process has drawbacks, including nonuniformity of the coloring13 and HISTORICAL BACKGROUND color change after adjustment.14 Because of their high strength, less tooth reduction is needed than for other The first attempt to use ceramics for making denture all-ceramic or metal-ceramic systems.15 Wear of oppos- teeth was made by Alexis Duchateau in 1774. More than ing enamel appears to be less with monolithic zirconia a hundred years later, C. H. Land made the first ceramic than other dental ceramics,16 although the restoration crowns and inlays with a platinum foil matrix technique must be carefully polished because a rough surface will in a gas-powered furnace and was granted a patent in lead to increased wear of the opposing tooth.17 1887.1 As this method was fraught with a number of risks, it did not become popular until electric furnaces were introduced a number of years later.2 The popularity of STRENGTHENING MECHANISMS ceramic restorations declined with the introduction of OF DENTAL CERAMICS acrylic resin in the 1940s and continued to be low until the disadvantages of resin veneering materials (increased In spite of their excellent esthetic qualities and outstand- wear, high permeability leading to discoloration and ing biocompatibility, dental ceramics, like all ceramic leakage) were realized.3-5 In 1962, Weinstein and materials, are brittle. They are susceptible to fracture at Weinstein6 patented a leucite-containing porcelain frit the time of placement and during function. Brittle mate- for use in metal-ceramic restorations. The presence of rials such as ceramics always contain at least two types of leucite, an aluminosilicate with high thermal expansion, flaws from which fracture can initiate: fabrication defects allowed a match between the thermal expansion of the and surface cracks. Methods used to improve the strength ceramic and that of the metal (see Chapter 24). The and clinical performance of dental ceramics include crys- appearance of ceramic restorations was improved by talline reinforcement, chemical strengthening, and stress- the introduction of vacuum firing, which considerably induced transformation. 674 25 All-Ceramic Restorations 675 A A B B C C FIGURE 25-1 ■ A, All-ceramic crown restoring the right maxillary FIGURE 25-2 ■ A, Mandibular molar prepared for conservative central incisor. B and C, Maxillary anterior teeth restored with ceramic onlay after cuspal fracture. B, Lithium disilicate evalu- facial veneers and an all-ceramic fixed dental prosthesis. (B and ated intraorally before firing. C, Completed restoration. C, Courtesy Dr. D.H. Ward.) Fabrication Defects analyze failure with a statistical approach, assessing flaw size and spatial distribution.24 Fabrication defects are created during processing and consist of voids or inclusions generated during sintering. Crystalline Reinforcement Condensation of a ceramic slurry by hand before sinter- ing may introduce porosity. Sintering under vacuum Strengthening by crystalline reinforcement involves the reduces the porosity in dental ceramics from 5.6 to 0.56 introduction of a high proportion of crystalline phase volume percent.18 Porosity on the internal side of clini- into the ceramic material to improve the resistance to cally failed glass-ceramic restorations has been shown to crack propagation. The crystals can deflect the advancing be a fracture initiation site.19 Also, microcracks develop crack front to increase the fracture resistance of two- within the ceramic upon cooling in leucite-containing phase materials. Microstructural features that typically ceramics and are caused by thermal contraction mismatch lead to crack deflection include (1) weakened interfaces between the crystals and the glassy matrix.20-22 between grains in single-phase materials that may be caused by incomplete sintering and (2) residual strains in 25 Surface Cracks two-phase materials. The latter constitutes a major issue in dental ceramics. Surface cracks are induced by machining or grinding. A crystalline phase whose thermal expansion coeffi- The average natural flaw size varies from 20 to 50 µm.23 cient is greater than that of the matrix produces tangential Usually, fracture of the ceramic material originates from compressive stress (and radial tension) near the crystal- the most severe flaw, which effectively determines the matrix interface. Such tangential stresses tend to divert fracture resistance of the restoration. Ceramic engineers the crack around the particle. Leucite particles have a 676 PART III Laboratory Procedures greater thermal expansion coefficient than does the between water and the ceramic at the tip of the strength- surrounding glassy matrix. Upon cooling, compressive controlling crack, which results in an increase in the crack stresses develop at the leucite crystal–matrix interface.21 size—a phenomenon called stress corrosion or static fatigue.35 According to Michalske and Freiman,36 the reaction steps Chemical Strengthening involve the following: 1. The adsorption of water to a strained silicon- Chemical strengthening is another method used to increase oxygen-silicon (Si-O-Si) bond the strength of glass and ceramics. Chemical strengthen- 2. A concerted reaction involving simultaneous proton ing relies on the exchange of small alkali ions for larger and electron transfer ions below the strain point of the ceramic material. Because 3. The formation of surface hydroxyls stress relaxation is not possible in this temperature range, Sherrill and O’Brien37 reported a reduction in fracture the exchange leads to the creation of a compressive layer strength of about 30% when dental porcelains were frac- at the surface of the ceramic.26 Finally, any applied load tured in water, and other authors38,39 have concluded that must first overcome this built-in compression layer before stress corrosion is important in the performance of dental the surface can be placed into tension; this results in an ceramic restorations. increase in fracture resistance. This technique involves the Ceramic systems such as Captek (The Argen Corpora- use of alkali salts with a melting point lower than the tion) that are baked on a metal foil may reduce fracture glass transition temperature of the ceramic material. Ion incidence by reducing moisture exposure to the internal exchange strengthening has been reported to increase the surface of the ceramic material, from where the fracture flexural strength of feldspathic dental porcelain up to 80%, is thought to initiate.19 In industry, coatings such as depending on the ionic species involved and the composi- optical fibers are used to reduce stress corrosion of glass tion of the porcelain.27,28 The depth of the ion-exchanged and ceramics. Similar