Zirconia crowns in 2023
For many years, porcelain-fused-to-metal (or full-gold) dental crowns have been the norm. Zirconia is one of the superior non-metal replacements that technology is finally discovering.
Among the current all-ceramic crowns used in restorative dentistry, zirconia-based crowns are a popular choice due to their superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and excellent aesthetics.
However, Zirconia crown restoration could be a challenging procedure. Regarding the clinical performance of monolithic zirconia crowns, currently available data are limited to short-term follow-ups.
For a crown to be successful clinically, it must fit properly. Marginal misfit increases the risk of secondary caries, periodontal disease, pulpal inflammation, and poor restoration retention by causing excessive plaque buildup, microleakage, and cement breakdown.
Zirconia crowns are considered advantageous for the following reasons:
. Stronger whether monolithic, layerer, or high-translucency zirconia is used.
. Customizable due to the material’s extreme malleability when molded, which allows for precise matching of the preexisting tooth.
. Zirconia is biocompatible because it has minimal to no adverse effects on patients and is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and metal-free.
. The ideal color, especially when combined with workflows for shade-matching and intraoral scanning.
References
Fatemeh Soleimani, Hamid Jalali, Azam Sadat Mostafavi, Somayeh Zeighami, Maryam Memarian, “Retention and Clinical Performance of Zirconia Crowns: A Comprehensive Review”, International Journal of Dentistry, vol. 2020, Article ID 8846534, 6 pages, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8846534
Çin, Vahap, Ayça Deniz İzgi, Ediz Kale, and Burak Yilmaz. 2023. “Marginal and Internal Fit of Monolithic Zirconia Crowns Fabricated by Using Two Different CAD-CAM Workflows: An In Vitro Study” Prosthesis 5, no. 1: 35-47. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis5010003
Zhai Z, Qian C, Jiao T, Sun J. In vitro fracture and fatigue resistance of monolithic zirconia crowns fabricated by stereolithography. J Prosthet Dent. 2023 Mar 23:S0022-3913(23)00127-0. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2023.02.017. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36966099.
