Contemporary Dental Ceramic Materials, A Review: Chemical Composition, Physical and Mechanical Properties, Indications for Use.

BACKGROUND: The high esthetic expectations from the prosthodontic restorations have directed the qualitative development of the materials towards the all-ceramic materials that are capable of replacing porcelain-fused-to-metal systems.

AIM: This article reviews the literature covering the contemporary all-ceramic materials and systems with a focus on the chemical composition and materials' properties; also it provides clinical recommendations for their use.

RESULTS: The glass-matrix ceramics and polycrystalline ceramics are presented, as well as recently introduced machinable materials, all-zirconia and resin-matrix ceramics. The specific properties of zirconia, such as transformation toughening, stabilisation of the crystallographic structure, low-temperature degradation and factors affecting the zirconia's ageing, are emphasised.

CONCLUSION: The favourable properties of the resin-matrix ceramics, such as modulus of elasticity similar to dentin, shock-absorbing characteristics and high resilience and fracture resistance, are also covered in this article.