Current glass-ceramic systems used in dentistry

Abstract

Dental ceramic restorations are essentially oxide based glass-ceramicsystems. Glass-ceramics are employed in medicine and dentistry because they arerelatively easy to process and have impressive mechanical properties. In addition, allceramicdental restorations are attractive for both dentists and patients because theyhave excellent aesthetics and their low thermal conductivity makes them comfortable inthe mouth. In addition, the material is extremely durable and relatively easy tomanufacture into customised units. The first ceramic to be used in dental restorationwas dental porcelain. Introduced in the 1960s, this material has shown excellentaesthetics and biocompatibility, but its strength is only adequate for a limited range ofapplications. The development of advanced dental material technologies has recentlyled to the introduction of a range of all-ceramic restorations in dentistry. In this chapter,the authors have summarised the fundamental principles of glass-ceramic technologyparticularly it's use in dentistry and also give general information about currentcommercial materials and those currently under development. Detailing their properties,processing methods and how they may affect the future of dentistry. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers. All rights reserved.