Q: What is zirconia?

A: Zirconia is another name for zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), an oxide of the metal zirconium. Zirconia blocks and discs are used by dental laboratories to mill zirconia copings, frameworks or full contour zirconia crowns and bridges. These blocks are formed under pressure from zirconium oxide powder stabilized with yttria, plus additional additives for bonding and…

Q: How is zirconia block made ?

A: Manufacturing process Axial pressing method: The first operation is the axial pressing of the zirconia. Products are manufactured in standard shapes like discs, cylinders and blocks according to market requirements. It is however possible to comply with our customer's specific requirements and produce customized product shapes and dimensions. Isostatic press…

Q: Why use zirconia – is this clinician driven or manufacturer driven?

A: The use of zirconia copings is driven by improved esthetics, biocompatibility, and durability as compared to PFM. Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2) has a history of providing stability and being highly biocompatible. With such nature, ZrO2 has been chose by the dental industry to perform such aspects of its chemical attributes inside the mouth. No more metal, no more g…

Q: Are there differences among zirconia ceramics?

A: Differences among zirconia ceramics can occur with the level of purity of zirconia; grain size, trace elements and stabilizing compounds; and consistency of formulation. Differences can exist in shrinkage from batch to batch because of differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).

Q: Zirconia substructures have high flexural strength, 900-1200 MPa, but what is the flexural strength of the zirconia/porcelain system?

A: Flexural strength is typically performed on a three-point bend specimen and is a function of relative thickness of the zirconia and overlaid ceramic,but it would not exceed the flexural strength of the zirconia.