Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

DENTAL CERAMICS

CERAMICS:
Is defined as any product made essentially from non-metallic
material by firing at high temperature to achieve desirable
properties.

PORCELAIN:
The term porcelain refers to a family of ceramic materials
composed essentially of Kaloin, quartz and Feldspar also fired at
high temperature.

Acc GPT 1999 Ceramics:

It is defined as compounds of one or more metals with nonmetallic element usually oxygen. They are formed by of chemical
and biochemical stable substances that are strong, hard, brittle
and inter non-conductors of thermal and electrical energy.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Ceramics are the most sophisticated material of stone age.
The forming and burning of clay suspension has been carried out
since 5000 BC.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

12

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Characterized

by

their

refractory

nature

hardness,

susceptibility to fracture and chemical inertness.

First introduced in dentistry in late 1700s.
Ceramic denture teeth first made by Alexis Dachateau in
1774.
CH Land made the first ceramic crown and inlay with an
platinum foil matrix. (Technique was patented in 1887).
Porcelain jacket crowns developed in early 1900s.
The popularity of ceramic restoration declined with the
introduction of acrylic resins. But
In

1960s

poor

matching

in

thermal

expansion

and

contraction between ceramic and alloy lead to development of

Leucite-containing feldspathic porcelain.
In 1962 Weinstein patented a leucite containing porcelain
first for use in metal ceramic restorations.

CLASSIFICATION OF DENTAL CERAMICS:

Dental ceramics are classified according to their;
1. Firing temperature
2. Type of porcelains
3. According to the use
4. Processing methods
DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

13

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

5. Substructure material
6. Methods of fabricating ceramic restorations
7. Methods of firing
8. According to application.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

14

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

According to Firing Temperatures:

According to British Standard 5612:a) The High Fusing 13000C (1315 13700C)
-

Used for denture teeth

Superior strength, insolubility and translucency.

b) The medium fusing 1090 to 12600C

-

Used for denture teeth, ceramic metal restoration, fixed

restorations.

c) The low fusing 8700C to 10650C

-

Used for ceramic metal restorations, fixed restorations.

d) Ultra low fusing - <8700C

According to Firing Methods:

-

Air fired Firing at atmospheric pressure

Vacuum fired Firing at reduced pressure.

According to the Type of Porcelain:

-

Feldspathic porcelains

Leucite reinforced porcelain

Aluminous porcelains

Alumina core porcelain

Glass infiltrated alumina porcelain

Glass infiltrated magnesium spinnel

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

15

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

Glass ceramics.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

16

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

According to the Use:-

Denture teeth

Metal ceramics

Laminate and veneers

Inlays, onlays

Crown and bridge

According to the Substructure Material:

-

Cast metal

Snagged foil/ metal

Glass ceramics

Sintered glass ceramics

Crystallized porcelains

Copy milled porcelains

CAD/ CAM Porcelains

According to Processing Methods:

-

Sintering

Casting

Machining

According to the method of Applications:

-

All porcelain

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

17

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

Porcelain fused metal

According to Fabrication Technique:

-

Depending on fabrication.

All Ceramic

Fabrication
Machined

Crystalline Phase
Alumina Al2O3
Feldspar AKAl Si3 O8

Slip Cast

Mica KMg25 Sio4 F2

Alumina Al2O3

Heat Pressed

Spinel Mg Al2 O4
Leucite Kal Si2 O6

Sintered

Lithium disilicate Li2 Si2 O5

Alumina Al2O6

Ceramic

Sintered

Leucite Kal Si2O6

Leusite KA1Si2O6

Metal
Denture

Manufactured

Feldspar

teeth

COMPOSITION OF DENTAL PORCELAINS:

Compositional

Constituents

(Percentage)

- Feldspar

60-80%

Basic glass former

- Quartz

15-25%

Filler

- Oxide

9-15%

Fluxes

- Alumina

8-20%

Glass former 8 fluxes

1%

Color matching

3-5%

Binder

- Metallic pigments
- Kaolin

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

18

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

High Fusing Porcelains:

Feldspar

70-90%

Quartz

11-18%

Kaolin

1-10%

Medium fusing and low fusing porcelains:Medium Fusing

Low Fusing

69.4%

64.2%

Boric oxide

7.5%

2.8%

Calcium oxide

1.9%

Potassium oxide

8.3%

8.2%

Aluminium oxide

4.8%

1.9%

2.1%

Silica dioxide

Lithium oxide
Magnesium oxide

0.5%

Individual Components:Potash feldspar -

K2O Al2O3 6SiO2

Soda feldspar

Na2O Al2O3 6 SiO2

Silica SiO2
Crystalline quartz
Crystalline cristobalite
Crystalline tridymite
Non-crystalline fused silica

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

19

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

It acts as a refractory skeleton provides strength and

hardness.

Glass modifiers: Boric oxide B2O3

Function:
-

Lowers fusion temperature

Increases flow of porcelain

Removes impurities

Help to produce dental porcelain with different firing

temperature

Acts as a flux, by interrupting the integrity of the silica

network.

Kaolin:
-

Acts as a binder

Also imparts opacity

Alumina: Forms a network in conjunction with silica.

Alters softening viscosity.
Metallic Pigments: Pigment oxides
-

Help to obtain various shades needed to stimulate natural

teeth.

These are :- Brown

Green

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

- Iron or nickel oxide

- Copper oxide
20

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics
Yellow brown

- Titanium oxide

Blue

- Cobalt oxide

Pink

- Chromium tin or chroma

Opacity is achieved by addition of :Cerium oxide

Zirconium oxide
Titanium oxide
Tin oxide

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

21

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

ADVANTAGES OF CERAMICS:
1. High abrasion resistance
2. Chemical inertness
3. Excellent thermal and electrical insulators
4. Excellent esthetic qualities
Translucency
Color stability
Capacity of pigmentation
Stain resistance
Enhanced polishability
5. High durable

DISADVANTAGES:
1. Highly brittle
2. Excessive wear of opposing teeth
3. High firing shrinkage

Methods used to overcome the deficiencies of ceramics fall under 2

categories:1. Methods of strengthening brittle materials
2. Methods

of

designing

components

to

minimize

stress

concentration and tensile stress.

Methods of Strengthening:DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

22

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

1. Development of residual compressive stresses within the

surface of the material.
2. Interruption of crack propagation.
-

Minimising tensile stresses

Avoiding stress concentration

1) Development of residual stresses:

Strengthening is gained by virtue of fact that these residual
stresses must be first be negated by developing tensile stresses
before any net tensile stress develops.

4 Methods:
1) Ion-exchange: (Chemical Tempering)
Involves exchange of large potassium ions for the smaller
sodium ions.
Sodium containing glass articles is placed in a bath of molten
potassium nitrate.
The potassium ion is 35% larger than sodium ion.
Squeezing of the potassium ions into the place of sodium ions
creates a large residual compressive stress.

Thermal Tempering:- Most common methods.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

23

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Thermal temporing creates residual stresses by rapidly

cooling (quenching). The surface of object while it is hot and
in the softened (molten) state.
This rapid cooling produces a skin of rigid glass surrounding
a soft (molten core).
As molten core solidifies it tends to shrink, creates residual
tensile stresses within the outer surface.
Mismatch Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: The metal and the porcelain used for the restoration are
designed with slight mismatch in their co-efficient of thermal
expansion.
The coefficient of thermal expansion for metals is more than
porcelain thus the metal contacts more than the porcelain on
cooling provides additional strength.

Interruption of Crack Propagation:

Methods: Dispersion a crystalline phase
a) Aluminous Porcelains (PJC): Alumina which is a tough
crystalline material is added to a glass in the particulate
form, the glass is toughened as the cracks cannot penetrate
the alumina particles.
b) Dicor Castable Glass Ceramics): Dicor utilizes inhibition of
crack prepagation by the growth of mica crystals in the
DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

24

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

ceramic as a result of heat treatment of the ceramic. Mica

crystals in situ interrupt crack propagation their by
strengthening the restoration.

Transformation Toughening:
a) New technique of strengthening glasses.

Strengthening

glasses involves the incorporation of crystalline material that

is capable of undergoing a chance in crystal structure when
placed under stress.
b) The crystalline material partially stabilized Zirconia.

The

energy required for the transformation of is taken from the

energy that allows to crack to propagate.

Design of Dental Restorations:

-

Designed in such a way to overcome weakness.

To avoid exposure of the ceramic to high tensile stresses.

To avoid stress concentration at sharp angles.

Minimizing Tensile Stresses:

High tensile stresses
1. Posterior segment of mouth
2. Deep overbite in the anterior region
A ductile metal coping prevents the formation of Tensile
stresses in the porcelain and prevents it failure.
DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

25

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Reducing Stress Raisers:

Stress raisers are discontinuities in ceramic structures and in
the brittle materials that cause stress concentration.
Processing:
The production of satisfactory porcelain restoration requires
full careful attention to the principles and detail in operations.
Step-I Porcelain application and condensation:
-

Careful cleaning metal frame work and thin layer of opaque

porcelain is applied and baked.

Dentin

porcelain

powder

in

the

shade

selected

for

body/dentine portion.
-

To

achieve

thorough

condensation,

vibration

method

particularly efficient in driving excess of water.

-

Excess of water is removed by tissue paper.

Brush or Capillary Method:

-

Excess of water is removed by capillary attraction.

Drying: The restoration is placed infront open furnace, and to be

dried.
-

Drying stage lasts for 5 to 8 min.

Drying stage mainly removes excess water.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

26

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Firing/ Sintering:
-

Porcelain restoration are fired either by temperature control

alone or temperature or time control.

Sintering is defined as a process of heating without melting

closely packed particles to form a cohert mass by interparticle bonding and sufficient diffusion to decrease the
surface area and increase the density of the structure.

Fritting:
-

The term Frit is used to describe the final glass product.

The process of blending, melting and quenching the glass

components is termed as fritting.

Ceramming:
Ceramming is a procedure by virtue of which a metal
phosphate is undissolved in the porcelain, which acts as a
nucleating agent.

Fluxes:Fluxes are defined as any substance or mixture used to

promote fusion especially the fusion of metals or minerals.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

27

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Uses:
-

Lower fusion temperature

Increases fluidity

Reduces oxidation of metal.

Glazing:Porcelain is cleaned and necessary stains applied.

Glazing is short, when glazing temperature is reached, on
thin glassy film (glaze) is formed by viscous flow on the porcelain
surface.

Cooling:
It is commonly accepted that the cooling stage is critical in
fabrication of ceramic metal restoration.
Too rapid cooling, may result in surface cracking and crazing.
This also called thermal shock.
Very slow cooling also causes cracking.
Slow cooling is always preferred and is accomplished by
removing the fixed restoration.
Alumina Reinforced Porcelain:
-

First introduced by McClean and Hughes in 1968.

The alumina crystals reinforce the core which serves as a

substructure into which feldspathic porcelain is fixed.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

28

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

The fused alumina particles are stronger than the glass and
are used in conjunction with different strengthening such as
Zirconia and Magnesium.

The slip cast alumina crowns and FPD.

This have high strength but non-esthetic core material

(alumina) is veneered with ceramic.

Advantages:
1. Enhanced strength
2. Enhanced esthetics
3. Biocompatible
4. Good periodontal relationship
5. Transillumination of gingiva
Disadvantages:
1. Internal surface microcracks
2. Limited to anterior segments
3. Technique sensitive
4. Ideal preparation to avoid stress raisers.
5. Wear of opposing teeth.
6. Lower flexural strength
7. High sintering shrinkage
8. Not capable of being attached to partial denture frame works.
New addition:

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

29

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

In ceramic spinnel (mg Al 2O3) infiltrated with glass more

translucency.

II) Leucite Reinforced Porcelain:

The optic HSP is a leucite reinforced feldspathic porcelain
that is condensed and sintered like aluminous porcelain and
traditional feldspathic porcelains.
Indications: Inlays, onlays, low stress, crowns in veneers.

Advantages:
-

Does not require a metal substructure on opacer.

Good translucency and enhanced esthetics

Moderate flexural strength

Can be fabricated without special lab requirements.

Disadvantages:
HSP-optic when condensed and sintered shrinks on firing
because of the volumetric decrease caused by sintering and thus
the fit of crowns (marginal inaccuracies) is not as good as PFMs.

Glass Infiltrated Alumina Core Ceramics using Celay Technology

(Celay Restorations):

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

30

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

It makes use of copy milling technique that is capable of

milling.
-

Porcelains

In-ceramics

In ceramics spinell of MgAl2O3

In-creams substructure for FPD.

This system introduced by Microna technologies.

Heat Pressed Ceramics:

-

Involves high temperature 11000C and pressure in relation to

ceramic ingot.

The technique consists of slowly forcing softened ceramic into

mould made by the traditional lost wax technique.

Injection Moulded Glass Ceramics:

-

A precerammed glass ceramic that is heated in a cylinder

form and injected under pressure in high temperature into a
mould.

Contains high amount of leucite crystals that inhibit crack

propagation.

The ceramic substructure is produced by injection moulding

a period of 45 minutes.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

31

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Advantages:
-

Lack of metal

Moderate flexural strength

Excellent fit

Excellent esthetics.

Disadvantages: -

Fracture in posterior regions

Technique sensitive

Glass Ceramics:Glass ceramics are dental ceramics which are solid materials
partly

crystalline

and

partly

glassy,

formed

by

controlled

crystallisation of glass that combines the properties of a restorative

material for function with the capability to be cast using the lost
wax process.
Features:
-

First prepared by MacCullock in 1968.

Has a glassy matrix and one or more crystal phases produced

by the controlled nucleation and growth of crystals in the
glass.

Types:
-

Dicor using mica crystals

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

32

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

A Japanese castable glass ceramic using hydroxy apatite

crystals

Cerestore using -alumina and a magnesium aluminate

spinnel.

Dicor:
Dicor is a castable glass ceramic that is formed into an inlay,
fascial veneer, full crown by a last wax casting procedure similar to
that employed for metals.
Composition:-

SiO2 Al2 O3

MgO

MgF2 (CF2 ions act as nucleating agent)

Zinc oxide

Cerestore:
The shrink free cerestore system is a castable glass ceramic
that incorporates the strengthening-phases of,
-

-alumina

Mg aluminate spinnel

Advantages:
-

Better esthetics

Good esthetics

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

33

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

Less shrinkage

Disadvantages:
-

Contraindicated in posteriors.

Tetric ceram (Correctable ceramics):Ceromers are defined as ceramic optimized polymers of

composite resin used for the production of high quality restorations
even in the posterior segments.
Composition:-

Barium allumina fluorosilicate glass (ceramic filler)

Spherical ceramic particles

Pyrolitic silica

Barium difluoride

Silicate platelet agglomerates

Special rheological modifier

Advantages:
-

Ease in contouring and correcting

High polishibility

High smoothness

No slumping

High fluoride release

Radiopacity

Ease shade matching

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

34

Seminar - 2
-

High strength

High durability

Bio-compatible

Less shrinkage

Less chairside time

Dental Ceramics

CAD/CAM System:
Definition: CAD/CAM ceramics are defined as machinable ceramic
materials formulated for the production of crowns and inlays
through the use of computer aided designs and computer aided
machining processes.
Procedure:

Shoulder Porcelains:
Definition: Shoulder porcelains are defined as porcelains that are
formulated to be sintered at a lower temperature than that of
opaque porcelain and higher than body porcelain to produce an
esthetic porcelain margin as an alternative to a metal margin on a
metal ceramic crown.
Advantages:
-

Better esthetics

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

35

Seminar - 2
-

Dental Ceramics

Less plaque accumulation

Disadvantages:
-

Prone to breakage

Less marginal adaptation

CONCLUSION:
Although reaching somewhat of a plateau in its development
of ceramics and metal ceramic restoration will certainly continue to
evolve.
Recent improvements in both the composition of ceramics
and methods of forming core of all ceramic crowns; have greatly
enhanced the ability to produce more accurate and fracture
resistant jacket crown made entirely of ceramic material. New
generation ceramics have been introduced including Dicor glass
ceramic, Dicor MGC, Optec HSP, IPS empress.
The objective is gained through the future dental ceramics is
a

bough

because

the

increased

demand

for tooth

colored

restoration will lead to an increased demand for ceramic based and

polymer based restoration.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Restorative Materials Craig
Science of Dental Materials Skinners
Metal Ceramics Makato Yamamoto

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

36

Seminar - 2

Dental Ceramics

Fundamentals of Tooth Preparation Shilling Burg

Contemporary

Fixed

Prosthodontics

Rosenstial,

Land

Fujimoto.
ARJ and Science of Dental Ceramics WE MC Clean I and
II
Dental Lab Procedures FPD Rudd Marrow
The D.C.N.A. 1997 (Oct) R. Sheldonstein

JOURNALS:
1. Effect of Oxidation on Ceramometal bond strength by
Robert J. Dent et al. JPC 1982, Vol.47.
2. Polished Versus Autoglazed Porcelain surfaces by Lepold H.
Kluser et al. JPD 1982, vol.47.
3. A Comparison of the Abrasiveness of 6 Ceramic Surfaces and
Gold By Richard Jacob et al. JPD 1991, Vol.66.

DEPT. OF PROSTHODONTICS

37