The aesthetic part of Crown and Bridge manufacture, utilizes a material termed "dental porcelain". This material is closer to glass than to porcelain, given the same base material background.
Dental porcelain requires support to provide form and function. This support is provided for in many ways in the modern material world. In this section we demonstrate the use of metal alloy as the substructure, along with some of the build up procedures.
This is also referred to as Metal Supported Ceramics.
Porcelain Jacket Crown (PJC)
This traditional porcelain layering technique has been used in dentistry for many years. A platinum foil matrix, hand formed over a Die, supports an alumina oxide core and porcelain veneer. During the construction process the foil is removed. The porcelain is hardened in a kiln.
Acid Clean Up
Acid is used to clean off impurities from metal substructures. Here we are cleaning off an abutment in an acid etching bath prior to applying porcelain.
Porcelain powder and a build-up liquid are mixed together. It is then applied and formed in layers over a metal substructure. Each fissure and cusp are hand crafted to replicate the surface of real dentition, as is the colour or shade.
Porcelain Hardening
After each porcelain layer is applied, it is hardened in a kiln at very high temperatures (between 700 to 1000° C).
