Influence of CAD/CAM Grinding in the Performance of Sintered Dental Zirconia Framework

Abstract

The brittle behavior of ceramics limits the use of these materials under conditions of cyclic loading, as is the case of fixed partial dentures. To improve toughness and biocompatibility of ceramics is necessary to employ powders with better purities, adjust the conditions of compaction and sintering, microstructure control and explore mechanisms for increasing the toughness. Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) is generally used for dental ceramic restorations. The zirconia framework is fabricated using the CAD/CAM system. The ceramic mechanical properties are determined by testing polished sample. Previous work did not analyze the influence of surface defects induced during dentures grinding. Ceramic restorations manufacturing are made with coarse grinding high-speed diamond rotatory cutting instruments. This process induces residual stresses and the high temperature induces surface cracks. Consequently, a lower strength and reliability of the material is observed. In this work the mechanical properties of yttria stabilized zirconia were determined with the use of samples of dental prostheses molded in patients and machined with the use of a dental laboratory CAD/CAM system. The results showed that the mechanical properties of pre-sintered blocks are different from prosthetics machined by CAD/CAM and sintered under the same conditions used in the laboratories of the prosthesis. The defects created during machining reduce the mechanical properties of zirconia.