ADVANCEMENT IN CERAMICS

Ceramic materials have been used in dentistry for well over 200 years. They are the most biocompatible dental restorative materials chemically very stable. A desirable feature of ceramics is that their appearance can be customized to simulate the colour transluency and fluorescence of natural teeth. A major problem with ceramics is its structure only exhibits a very low flexibility before fracture. Newer ceramic materials and innovative processing techniques have been introduced in restorative dentistry since the early 1980's. Recent advances includes CAD/CAM and machining which has greatly changed the esthetics and clinical longevity of ceramic restorations.