Dental Zirconia Blog - Applications of Yttria-stabilized Zirconium Oxide in Dentistry
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Written by Anna Atkin
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Saturday, 29 January 2011 20:16 |
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 The International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery reported on a promissing 100% biocompatible zirconia implant process for immediate single-tooth replacement. In the study, a right premolar root was removed and a custom-made similar root was milled and placed into the root socket four days later back. No complications occurred during the healing process, and four months later, a crown was cemented to the implant.
In a follow-up study 26 months later, there was no bone resorption or soft-tissue recession, and excellent osseointegration of the implant was believed to have been achieved.
Not only is zirconia an excellent material for copings and frameworks, but it is also used elsewhere in the body for bone replacement and implantation, such as hip joints. Using modern CAD CAM processes, it is now possible to scan a removed root, and quicky mill, roughen, sinter, and implant a very strong and esthetically pleasing implant solution.
Installing titanium implants is a difficult surgical procedure, often involving drilling. risk bearing augmentations and barrier membranes. By contrast, replacing the root with a root-analogue zirconia implant is a comparatively simple procedure. More importantly, the white translucent nature of zircona makes for a much more aesthetically pleasing final restoration.
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Written by Scott Atkin
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Sunday, 09 January 2011 20:49 |
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 Dental Laboratory Milling Supplies, who introduced the very successfull Crystal Zirconia line of Dental Zirconia three years ago, became the first (and still only) company to produce a zirconia block for the Sirona inLab milling systems for under $10.00 US. Unveiled in the Dental Lab Products magazine and Laboratory Management Technician magazine, the new zDent line of dental zirconia is currently being produced ONLY for Sirona inLab equipment at this time, but Karen Solter, General Manager of DLMS, offered "We're partnering with HC Starck from Germany on this product, because they are THE worldwide leader in ceramic materials science, quality, and precision manufacturing. Our smaller zDent blocks are created with a brand new state-of-the-art uniaxal press, which is specifically designed for smaller precision block-forming."
According to the www.zDent.com website, the zDent line is a medium-translucency formulation with a polished finish, not as milky or opaque as some other zirconia, while maintaining a strength rating of more than 1400 MPa. The new website not only allows dental laboratories to purchase the materials online, but they can also download Material Safety Data Sheets, Instructions for Use, and Sintering Instructions directly from the site. In a market where technical details and layers of ever-changing standards and information often makes maintaining complete customer information difficult, zdent.com is the first website we have seen to offer full transparency of information regarding prices, materials, and processes, answering every question we could come up with, most of it in the sliding panels on their front page.
HC Starck manufactures the zDent blocks for Sirona inLab milling machines in an ISO 9001 certified manufacturing facility based in Germany. HC Stark is a worldwide company with thousands of employees and more than a dozen locations throughout Eurpope, the US, and Asia. While HC Starck is known worldwide as a ceramic and metal powder manufacturer, they are using Tosoh brand zirconia powders from Japan to manufacture zDent blocks -- Tosoh brand powders are the finest zirconia powders in the world right now, with more than 80% market share in dental applications of zirconia. HC Starck has been successfully manufacting their own line of zirconia blocks for distribution in Europe, and has signed an exclusive manufacturing agreement with DLMS to create the zDent blocks specifically for the North American market.
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Written by Scott Atkin
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Friday, 25 July 2008 13:29 |
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 In our dental laboratories facilities, we use a variety of dental milling technologies including the Cercon system. A few weeks ago, we received a letter offering a FREE UPGRADE of our Cercon Dental Milling Software, but before we committed to the upgrade, we did a bit of research and ended up not doing the upgrade, at least for now.
When a large manufacturer offers something out of the blue like this, you should probably ask yourself, WHY IS THIS UPGRADE FREE?
TNSTAAFL = There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
The reason that the upgrade is free is that it will link your system almost irreversably to Cercon's brand of zirconia blocks, which could cost you $1000 to $3000 per month in additional media costs. While aftermarket zirconia manufacturers are searching for a work-around, the best thing to do at this point is wait on the upgrade.
Cercon's brand of zirconia blocks cost much more than competitive blocks, which have the same strength ratings (950 MPa) and often higher translucency (as much as 30% higher) and better warranties (lifetime, in some cases). So, what is the difference? The difference is price - Cercon wants to lock you into paying their price,
With the lab tech business in the US under pressure from discounters and off-shore outsourcing, the last thing you want is to be forced to buy more expensive materials over the entire life of your milling machine. The decision to upgrade to the new cercon software will make your lab instantly non-competitive.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Cercon blocks compared to the higher translucency cercon-compatible blocks that we use in house:
| Comparison |
Cercon |
Other |
Difference |
| Cost of Box of 5 C-12 Blocks |
$177.30 |
$125.00 |
Save 30%
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| Cost of Box of 5 C-30 Blocks |
$555.20 |
$337.00 |
Save 40% |
| Cost of Box of 5 C-38 Blocks |
$730.70 |
$443.00 |
Save 40% |
| Cost of one C47 Block |
$377.50 |
$217.50 |
Save 42% |
| Media Hardness |
950 MPa |
950 MPa |
same |
| Hardness after Sintering |
1350 MPa |
1350 MPa |
same |
| Translucency |
standard
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high
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30% Better |
| Warranty |
1 year |
Lifetime |
Better |
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Consider an Open System: Currently, there are several manufacturers of "closed" milling machines, and their business model is to sell the machines to you cheaply so that they can lock you into their media (the razor and razor-blade model of marketing). However, there are also several manufacturers of open systems which allow you to purchase the most economical materials. We suggest that you consider one of the following OPEN milling systems as you expand your automated milling needs:
Want to know more? If you own a Cercon Milling system and want more info on the upgrade, or are considering purchasing the Cercon system, please use the contact us page to get more of our experience with this product. |
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Written by Scott Atkin
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Friday, 25 July 2008 12:47 |
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 In recent years, some discount labs and dentists in the US have oursourced the creation of crowns and bridges to labs in China with very mixed results. The biggest concerns are related to the creation of dental structures which will not stand the test of time, but earlier this year, the National Association of Dental Laboratories reported on a case where a crown from China was tested and found to have an unsafe level of lead in the porcelain. Just a few months earlier, toy manufacturers had to recall millions of toys due to use of lead paint, concerned about the risk that a young child might put the toy in their mouth. Therefore, when the reports about lead content actually in the tooth first surfaced, it was met with an alarming response from the US public.
Any dentist or laboratory considering outsourcing should take pause. When furniture companies or other manufacturers outsource to China, they do so for the cheap untrained labor and throw-away materials (particle board, etc). With dental structures, we feel that quality workmanship and materials should be paramount, and above all, the medical creed is to "first and foremost, do no harm."
The actual letter issued from NADL regarding this matter is below (you may need to click on READ MORE to see it).
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