(CHAPTER 18) KEY TERMS l CERAMICS

Alumina core

Substructure or framework of a crown or bridge that is made of Al₂O₃.

CAD-CAM ceramic

Partially or fully sintered ceramic blank that is used to produce a dental core or veneer structure using a computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing or milling (CAM) process.

Castable ceramic

Glass specially formulated to be cast into a mold and converted by heating to a glass-ceramic as a core coping or framework for a ceramic prosthesis.

Ceramic frits

Powdered ceramic material fired in a dental laboratory to produce a dental porcelain veneer layer over a core material (metal or ceramic). Frits may be glass or a mixture of glass and crystalline particles, which commonly contain inorganic pigments.

Ceramic, glaze

Fine glass powder that can be fired on a dental ceramic core or dental porcelain to form a smooth, glassy surface.

Ceramic, pressable (hot-pressed ceramic)

Ceramic with a high glass content that can be heated to a temperature and forced to flow under uniaxial pressure to fill a cavity in a refractory mold.

Ceramic, stain

Fine glass powder containing one or more pigments (colored metal oxides) that is applied superficially to a ceramic restoration.

Ceramic

Inorganic, nonmetallic material composed of metallic or semimetallic oxides, phosphates, sulfates, or other nonorganic compounds. Glass, which is amorphous, is a subset of ceramics.

Copy milling

Process of cutting or grinding a structure using a device that traces the surface of a master pattern, similar to a key-cutting procedure in three dimensions.

Core ceramic

Opaque or semitranslucent dental ceramic having sufficient strength, toughness, and stiffness to withstand masticatory forces. Core materials can be glazed or layered with a veneering ceramic to obtain the desired shade, form, function, and esthetics.

Dental ceramic

Specially formulated ceramic material that exhibits adequate strength, durability, and color and is used intraorally to restore anatomic form and function and/or esthetics. Many formulations are available depending on the clinical application.

Fixed dental prosthesis (FDP)

Inlay, onlay, veneer, crown, or bridge that is cemented to one or more teeth or dental implant abutments. The term is most often used to describe a bridge prosthesis.

Fixed partial denture (FPD)

Bridge that replaces one or more missing teeth. However, fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) is the universally preferred term.

Glass-ceramic

Ceramic that is formed to shape in the glassy state and subsequently heat treated to partially or completely crystallize the object. Glass-ceramic blanks are also available for CAD-CAM procedures.

Glass-infiltrated ceramic

Crystalline core (framework) ceramic whose interconnected pore network is infiltrated during heating by the capillary inflow of a low-viscosity, highly wetting glass. These infiltrated core materials are veneered with porcelain.

Green state

Semi-hard, prefired condition of a ceramic object. It may be wet, as produced by slip-casting, or it may be isostatically pressed to shape prior to firing. Are always porous and too fragile for intraoral use.Glaze Ceramic

Metal-Ceramic Prosthesis (MC)

A crown or bridge with a metal framework covered by dental porcelain for strength and esthetics. Also called PFM (Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal).

Natural Glaze

A smooth glassy surface formed when porcelain is heated during firing.

Overglaze

An additional glass coating fused onto a ceramic surface after fabrication.

Dental Porcelain

A ceramic material made mainly from feldspar, silica, alumina, pigments, and opacifiers; used for crowns, bridges, and veneers.

Opaque Porcelain

Porcelain used to hide the color of a metal framework.

Aluminous Porcelain

Porcelain used over an alumina core to improve appearance and shape.

Body (Dentin/Gingival) Porcelain

Porcelain that provides the main color and contour of the restoration.

Feldspathic Porcelain

Porcelain containing leucite crystals, commonly used as a veneer for metal-ceramic restorations.

Incisal (Enamel) Porcelain

Translucent porcelain used to form the incisal edge of anterior teeth.

Shoulder Porcelain

Porcelain used at the cervical margin of a crown to create an esthetic porcelain margin.

Sintering

Heating ceramic particles below their melting point so they bond together and become denser.

Slip Casting

Forming ceramic shapes by applying a ceramic slurry onto a porous mold, then removing water to create a "green body" before sintering.

Spinel (MgAl₂O₄)

A porous ceramic core material made by slip casting and glass infiltration.

Thermal Compatibility

The ability of a veneer and core material to expand and contract similarly during heating and cooling.

Zirconia

A very strong ceramic used as a crown or bridge framework or as a monolithic restoration.

Zirconia Core

A framework made of stabilized zirconia that supports veneering porcelain.