All-ceramic surveyed crowns for removable partial denture abutments

All-ceramic restorations may have limitations when used in combinations with other treatment modalities. Removable partial denture (RPD) abutment crowns are typically shaped to provide guide planes, rest seats, and retentive areas. Porcelain-to-metal crowns are routinely fabricated with retentive contours in the veneering porcelain, but until recently, the contours of the other portions of the restoration were developed in metal. This article describes the fabrication of all-ceramic crowns for RPDs with rest seats and guide planes in densely sintered aluminum oxide and retentive areas in veneering porcelain. Within the limitations outlined, this procedure allows the practitioner to use all-ceramic crowns in situations previously reserved for metal or metal-ceramic restorations.