Zirconia is used to make crowns, bridges and much more! Zirconia is also known as Zirconia dioxide which is a high-performance ceramic, non-metallic and inorganic material. It is a compound of the element zirconium and is mainly obtained from the mineral called zircon which can be found in nature. Zirconia has been used since the mid ’90s in prosthetic dentistry as Zirconia is strong and can be used even for a 14-unit bridge!
Zircon is the oldest mineral in the earth’s crust and it is the base for zirconia. Zirconia has even been successfully used in hip surgery since the ’70s. Due to its excellent biocompatibility, zirconia is the preferred material for modern dental restorations among dental ceramic materials available today.
Not all zirconia is equal!
In the Zirkonzahn headquarters, only the finest zirconia is used for dental prosthesis. Zirconia is put through tests to ensure the best quality zirconia is used. Out of the still “soft” zirconia blank, the dental restoration is milled in the desired form at the dental laboratory, and Zirconia is pressed into disks that are used to mill crowns etc. Zirconia starts out as a soft material and only through sintering in a furnace at 1500 degrees Celsius or 1600 degrees Celsius will it form to be hard. Only by combustion procedure, zirconia attains its final hardness and resistance. The purity of the material is crucial for its solidity and biocompatibility.