Preliminary investigations into finishing of artificial dental crown

Abstract

The purpose of a crown is to cover or 'cap' a damaged tooth. Metal crowns are casted using lost wax technique while the latest zirconium crowns are fabricated by CAD-CAM Technique. The surface smoothness of a crown is important for long-standing dental restoration since it directly affects the clean ability and retention of microbes. Rise in bacterial cell attachment occurs with an increase in the surface roughness, inducing plaque accumulation which results in periodontal tissue inflammation and accelerated antagonist wear. The ultimate aim of this research study is to achieve the optimum surface roughness of dental porcelain crown by finishing the unglazed crowns using the process of magnetorheological fluid-based finishing (MRFF) process. The surface finish thus achieved was better than the measured surface finish of the glazed surface in all the cases except with machining gap of 200 µm.