Zirconium oxide (Yttrium - partially stabilized with tetragonal polycrystalline structure) is a high-performance material, which has been used successfully since the seventies for orthopaedic purposes, i.e. for artificial limbs and joints. Zirconium is used in the dental technical field to implement almost all types of dental restorations. It is made of raw mineral materials, such as zirconium sand, chemically manufactured, partially stabilized with yttrium, and converted by mechanical procedures into zirconia blocks.
Among the dental ceramic materials available today, zirconium oxide partially stabilized with yttrium is undisputedly the substance displaying the highest flexural and tensile strength. Our material has bending strength values of over 1400 MPa, a Vickers hardness of 1250, a density in the sintered condition of 6.05 g/cm3 and a Weibull module of > 12.
The material facilitates and enables the production of aesthetical, high-quality dental prosthesis which, in addition, stands out by perfectly fitting, by it strength and fracture resistance.
The zirconia blocks are manufactured according to a biaxial compression moulding procedure, by which the same pressure is applied above and below, so that shrinking can be checked exactly.