DTUK1810

15Cosmetic TribuneJuly 12-18, 2010United Kingdom Edition T here is an old saying that ‘nothing is ever invented and perfected at the same time.’ Take a moment to consider the advancements seen in the dental industry and it’s clear that many innovative techniques and materials have required a great deal of refinement in order to be- come successful treatments pa- tients now benefit from today. Consider restorations. In the past the profession has seen great leaps forward in the materials and methods used to create and fit restorative implants. One of the central concerns of any restora- tive work is the balance between strength and aesthetics of the im- plant. The progress made using titanium helped address some of the strength issues, but clinicians have long known the aesthetic limitations of metal. As a result, maintaining the aesthetic integ- rity has always been a challenge. In today’s image-conscious society, providing restorations that are aesthetically pleasing is often now a priority for more patients. Clinicians who address this demand are the ones who will ultimately benefit from a de- veloped patient base: that is why it is time to reconsider all-ceram- ic implants. At the time of its introduction, when dental professionals did their research, they found that while the all-ceramic could meet the aesthetic needs, it was com- promised by a lack of strength and durability. Like so many new innovations, it failed to live up to the expectations. But that was then. Now there have been great advances in both the materials themselves as well as the technologies at the dispos- al of dental laboratories to cre- ate outstanding restorative work that surpasses all expectations in terms of both strength and aes- thetics. All-ceramic has had time to mature into an effective restor- ative solution, and this is support- ed by an abundance of research and clinical evidence. Cubic zirconia possesses sev- eral advantages over traditional crown and bridgework materials of metal and porcelain, but chiefly it possesses the strength required to maintain a durable restoration whilst retaining the advantage of being lighter and more natural looking. One criticism leveled at zirconia in the past is that it is not biocompatible, but how compat- ible is metal? Many clinicians are seeing less of an allergic reaction between the all-ceramic restora- tion and the gum line, maintain- ing the aesthetically pleasing nature of the work, to the overall satisfaction of the patient. As well as materials, the technology has undergone rapid transformations over the recent years. At the scanning stage, the model created from the impres- sion taken is scanned by a ma- chine capable of providing a phe- nomenal 100,000 points of data per laser-triangulated scan. This means an accuracy of 20 microns is achieved and helping to create a finished product engineered to the highest degree of quality. Those dentists already using all-ceramic restorations are see- ing the benefits of being able to market the work as a more cost- effective solution, and the oppor- tunity it presents to grow patient base and treatment acceptance. DT Neil photay and David Hands look at All-ceramic restorations The new ‘old’ technology About the authors Neil photay BSC (Hons) GDC Reg. Technician. Neil proudly carries his family tradition of working in the den- tal industry and creating and manu- facturing dental innovations and tech- nologies. Working at both the CosTech Laboratory and family dental surger- ies from the age of 16, Neil completed a BSc(hons) in Computer Science, before returning to the Costech Elite laboratory in 2003. David Hands MDT GDC Reg. Techni- cian. David studied Dental Technology at Lambeth college in 1999 achieving BTech national diploma in science and dental technology, and advance HNC/ HND in dental technology. He further trained with Master Techni- cians in the USA in ‘Advanced Aesthet- ics’ and ‘Smile Design’, gaining the Master Technician status. David joined CosTech in 2004.

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