Demystifying Modern Dental Ceramics.

With increasing patient expectation for aesthetic dental restorations, there has been a drive towards developing ceramic materials to meet this expectation. Multiple ceramic systems have been introduced over the past four decades with considerable advances in material properties. Survival rates of all-ceramic crowns differ by type of ceramic used, fabrication method and clinical indication. Zirconia and lithium disilicate are the most commonly used contemporary ceramic materials in dentistry. Survival data for these types of restorations appears to be promising; however, there is a lack of high-quality long-term clinical data on the success of these restorations. In the absence of robust longitudinal clinical research, laboratory studies have provided some useful information on the performance of ceramic restorations. Further high quality long-term clinical studies are needed to inform us of modes of failure of these restorations and the range of clinical circumstances in which each type of ceramic restoration may be used.

Interocclusal Records in Fixed Prosthodontics.

An accurate interocclusal record is essential for the successful delivery of fixed prosthodontic restorations. There are various materials and techniques used to obtain an interocclusal record in order to facilitate mounting of the dental casts on an articulator. The interocclusal record describes the vertical and horizontal relationship of the maxillary and mandibular teeth. In circumstances where the vertical relationship is not supported through a tripod of widely spaced opposing contacts, the interocclusal record will be needed to restore this vertical support to prevent inaccurate mounting. The clinician should understand when an interocclusal record is required and have an awareness of the different materials and techniques available to record an interocclusal registration.

Cast Titanium for Obturator Framework Construction in Maxillofacial Prosthodontics.

A 37 year old male presented with the complaint of a loose and bulky acrylic obturator prosthesis. He had previously tried to using a different acrylic obturator prostheses as well as both cobalt chromium and titanium framework obturators. The most successful previous prosthesis was a titanium based obturator which had performed well prior to a fractured clasp. Accordingly, following an exploration of the available surgical and prosthodontic treatment options, a further tooth borne partial maxillary obturator was provided successfully. The case highlights the relative merits and limitations of the use of cast titanium as a denture base material in partial denture and obturator construction.