ABSTRACT
In recent years, high esthetic expectations and natural appearance demands from patients have increased the popularity of ceramic restorations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of restoration thicknesses and different resin cement brands on the translucency and final color of different types of monolithic zirconia and lithium disilicate ceramics. A total of 160 disc-shaped specimens (10-mm diameter; 1 mm, or 1.5 mm thick) were produced using different types of monolithic zirconia (Katana Zirconia UTML, Katana Zirconia ML, Katana Zirconia STML Blocks; Kuraray) and lithium disilicate ceramic (IPS e.max Press, Ivoclar Vivadent) (n = 40 discs per material, with 20 discs per thickness). Two different brands of dual-cured resin cements (RelyX Ultimate, 3M ESPE; and BisCem, Bisco) were applied to the specimen surfaces. The translucency and color changes of the lithium disilicate and monolithic zirconia ceramics were examined before and after cementation using a spectrophotometer. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the resin cement brand and ceramic thickness variation influenced the translucency and final color of the monolithic zirconia and lithium disilicate ceramic specimens.
