Multi-Layer Lithium Silicate Ceramic Blank for Dental Restorations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing dental restorations from ceramic materials require laborious finishing and do not adequately meet aesthetic and strength requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of lithium silicate glass ceramic materials, where different ceramic materials are filled into a mold, pressed, and heat-treated to form a blank with regions of varying compositions, allowing for the production of dental restorations with specific optical and mechanical properties without extensive finishing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional ceramic materials and methods are used for producing dental restorations, then the restorations can be produced, but laborious finishing is required and aesthetic requirements are not adequately met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a multi-layered ceramic blank where each layer has different material properties (translucency, color, composition) tailored to specific regions. The first ceramic material forms an outer layer with specific aesthetic properties, while the second ceramic material forms an inner layer with different properties, allowing each region to satisfy its specific functional and aesthetic requirements without requiring post-production finishing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining two different ceramic materials with distinct compositions and properties into a single integrated blank. The first ceramic material (with higher translucency) and second ceramic material (with lower translucency) are sintered together to form a composite structure that inherently provides both aesthetic and functional properties, eliminating the need for additional veneering or finishing operations.
2Reliability
If traditional single-material ceramic blanks are used, then production is simpler, but the restorations cannot satisfy both aesthetic requirements and high strength requirements simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different material properties to different regions of the ceramic blank. The outer layer (first ceramic material) is optimized for aesthetic properties with higher translucency, while the inner layer (second ceramic material) is optimized for mechanical strength with lower translucency. This regional differentiation allows the restoration to simultaneously satisfy both aesthetic and strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by integrating two ceramic materials with different properties into a single blank structure. The composite construction allows the outer aesthetic layer to provide visual appeal while the inner structural layer provides mechanical strength, achieving both reliability aspects (aesthetics and strength) in one component.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ceramic materials with different compositions are layered and pressed, then dental restorations with varying translucency and color can be produced, but the pressing and heat treatment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the ceramic blank into multiple layers, each made from different ceramic materials with specific compositions. The first ceramic material forms an outer layer with desired aesthetic properties, while the second ceramic material forms an inner layer with different properties. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each layer's properties while maintaining a systematic pressing and heat treatment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying the composition, translucency, and color parameters of different ceramic materials across the blank's layers. The first ceramic material has parameters optimized for aesthetics (higher translucency), while the second has parameters optimized for strength (lower translucency). The pressing and heat treatment process is designed to accommodate these parameter variations, sintering the layered structure into a unified restoration with spatially varying properties.
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
Enables the production of dental restorations that are aesthetically pleasing and strong, with regions of varying translucency and color, facilitating the creation of teeth of different shapes and geometries from a single blank, and allowing for immediate use after full sintering without additional veneering.
Implementation Method 1
the materials are pressed
Implementation Method 2
after pressing are sintered
Implementation Method 3
the materials are pressed together and are then heat-treated
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the production of a blank of a ceramic material, wherein a first ceramic material and then a second ceramic material of different compositions are filled into a mold and wherein the materials are pressed and after pressing are sintered. Thereby, a layer of the first ceramic material is filled into the mold, a first open cavity is formed in the layer, the second ceramic material is filled into the first open cavity and the materials are pressed together and are then heat-treated. Both the first ceramic material and the second ceramic material contain, or consists of, lithium silicate glass ceramic.