The use of adhesive metal-ceramic restorations as an alternative to conventional crown and bridge materials

A compromise is often necessary when choosing the most appropriate material in the construction of crowns and bridges. The most commonly used material is porcelain fused to metal since it is aesthetic and has acceptable physical characteristics to be used in the restoration of both anterior and posterior teeth. Unfortunately, to achieve a predictable and durable result extensive tooth preparation is invariably necessary. More conservative alternatives such as dentine-bonded crowns may have inferior physical characteristics and allow less predictable control over the occlusal contour. This paper describes the construction of fixed restorations which use both lost wax and refractory die techniques in their construction. This results in a restoration which has the combined advantages of both traditional porcelain fused to metal and dentine-bonded crowns and bridges.