New Knowledge about Zirconium-Ceramic as a Structural Material in Fixed Prosthodontics

Dental ceramics represents a major structural material in fixed prosthodontics. Increasing demands for esthetics led to development of new ceramic materials in order to eliminate the use of metal framework and for all ceramic restorations with mechanical properties to withstand high occlusal forces. Out of all the present ceramic materials, zirconium-ceramic has the best mechanical properties, and is the only material that can be used for longer span fixed dental restorations. Despite its excellent mechanical properties, to achieve great esthetics, due to absence of translucency, zirconium-dioxide cannot be used as a single material and needs veneering with more esthetic ceramic. When introduced in dental medicine, it was considered an almost ideal material for fixed prosthodontics, but clinical use and in vivo and in vitro studies showed many problems which still persist despite the improvements.
This review aims to reveal new developments in zirconium-ceramics and technical procedures which could increase clinical performance and longevity of these restorations.