PubMed · 2001 · 230 citations · 0 references
Materials ScienceEngineeringCeramicsDirect Ceramic MachiningMolar RegionMechanical EngineeringDental BiomechanicsCeramic MaterialCeramics MaterialsAll-ceramic Dental RestorationsDcm ProcessMachiningStructural CeramicCeramic TechnologyAll-ceramic Dental BridgesMicrostructure
All-ceramic molar bridges remain costly and unavailable at reasonable prices. The novel direct ceramic machining (DCM) process mills an enlarged framework from a porous zirconia blank, sinters it to full density, and then applies veneer porcelain, enabling rapid, reliable fabrication without hard machining. DCM-fabricated zirconia bridges have twice the mechanical strength of commercial In‑Ceram Alumina and IPS Empress2, are more reliable, and a clinical study of three‑unit molar bridges showed no problems after one year.
All-ceramic dental bridges for the molar region are not yet available at reasonable costs. The novel direct ceramic machining (DCM) process allows an easy, reliable and rapid fabrication for all-ceramic dental restorations with high mechanical strength and good biocompatibility. In DCM, an enlarged framework is easily milled out of a pre-fabricated porous ceramic blank made of zirconia. After sintering to full density, no further time-consuming hard machining with diamond tools is needed. For individual esthetical requirements, the framework is coated with a veneer porcelain. Compared to the commercially available In-Ceram Alumina and IPS Empress2 restorations, the mechanical strength of zirconia frameworks is twice as high, allowing the restorations to bear the high mastication forces in the molar region. In terms of reliability, zirconia bridges fabricated by the DCM process are also superior to In-Ceram Alumina and IPS Empress2. A clinical study of three-unit dental bridges in the molar region found no problems after the first year of observation.