Ceramic Dental Implant Surface Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ceramic dental implants face challenges with low hydrothermal stability, leading to reduced fracture strength and mismatched color with natural teeth, despite their mechanical and visual advantages, due to low-temperature degradation and surface etching processes.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic body with a surface region enriched in stabilizing agents like yttrium or cerium, which diffuses into the material to enhance hydrothermal stability without compromising mechanical and visual properties, achieved through a process involving surface application and heating, maintaining the strength and translucency of yttria-stabilized zirconia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If ceramic materials are used for dental implants, then color matching with natural teeth is improved, but fatigue stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different stabilizing agent concentrations at different depths: higher concentration at the surface region (0-10 μm) to prevent LTD, and lower concentration in the interior to maintain mechanical strength and translucency. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing hydrothermal stability where needed while preserving bulk mechanical properties.
2Reliability
If stabilizing agent concentration is increased to improve hydrothermal stability, then low-temperature degradation resistance is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a depth-dependent stabilizing agent distribution with maximum concentration at the surface (0-10 μm) and decreasing concentration toward the interior. This local quality approach provides enhanced hydrothermal stability at the surface where LTD initiates, while maintaining lower stabilizing agent content in the bulk to preserve mechanical strength and toughness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If surface etching is performed to improve osteointegrative properties, then bone integration is improved, but hydrothermal stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies stabilizing agents to the surface region before etching or as a post-etch treatment. This preliminary or corrective action creates a stabilizing agent-enriched surface layer that compensates for the hydrothermal stability reduction caused by subsequent or preceding etching processes, allowing both osteointegration and hydrothermal stability to be achieved.
4Reliability
If ceria is added to improve hydrothermal stability, then low-temperature degradation resistance is improved, but color matching deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent concentrates stabilizing agents (including ceria if used) in the surface region (0-10 μm) rather than uniformly distributing them throughout the bulk. This localized enrichment provides hydrothermal stability at the surface while maintaining the translucency and color matching of the bulk material, resolving the contradiction between stability enhancement and aesthetic appearance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The approach significantly improves hydrothermal stability while maintaining mechanical strength, toughness, and visual appearance, reducing the monoclinic phase transformation, thus ensuring long-term reliability and color matching with natural teeth.
Implementation Method 1
heating the basic body with the stabilizing agent applied thereon at a temperature such that at least a portion of the stabilizing agent diffuses into the ceramic material
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates a body made of a ceramic material stabilized by a stabilizing agent, characterized in that the body comprises a surface region extending from the surface of the body to a predetermined depth, the stabilizing agent being enriched in said surface region.