Disilicate Crowns in Simulated Oral Environment: The Effect of Tooth Preparation, Crown's Structure and Core/Veneer Thickness Ratio

Abstract

Restoring the masticatory function requires a strong restoration which can withstand the masticatory load and survive other challenging conditions in the oral cavity. Historically, several materials were proposed to restore aesthetic and function of the missing teeth such as ivory, bones or even natural teeth obtained from human donors. Since the 1960s, metal ceramic technology has been a very successful application to replace missing tooth/teeth. However, aesthetic and biocompatibility disadvantages of the metal ceramics encouraged the development of strong and competitive metal-free restorations. Several all-ceramic systems are available in today’s market. These systems differ in their mechanical and aesthetic capabilities, with the zirconia-based and lithium disilicate restorations appear to be the most popular. A considerable amount of dental ceramic research worldwide is directed toward zirconia because of its impressive mechanical properties. However, zirconia restorations are known to have unpleasing aesthetic and high rate of veneer chipping. On the contrary, the unique properties of lithium disilicate of combining high strength and superior aesthetic make it an attractive material for research and development.