Clinicians and dental technicians are constantly challenged with harnessing rapidly evolving technologies and materials with the goal of providing patients with indirect restorations with superior biomechanical and optical properties. Numerous considerations, which may require the involvement of multiple dental disciplines, must be weighed during the treatment planning phase prior to commencing treatment. Such considerations include material selection and restoration design and for complete-coverage restorations. This presentation will briefly review the evolution zirconia as a restorative material and provide and update on newer translucent zirconias for monolithic restorations. It will also provide an update on concepts of restoration design (monolithic, bilayered, and hybrid (partial monolithic)) for such restorations and discuss how appropriate selection of different types of zirconias and restoration design may foster successful treatment outcomes for various clinical scenarios.
Objective:
- Understand the unique properties of traditional and newer translucent zirconia.
- Understand and apply different design concepts (monolithic, bilayered, and hybrid) for all-ceramic restorations while addressing their advantages and limitations for different clinical scenarios.
- Understanding how the advent of CAD/CAM technology supports the fabrication of such restorations.
