We always discuss translucent zirconia for full contour crowns and bridges.
But we rarely discuss our framework.
If I were looking for the greatest zirconia on earth, designed for substructures and abutments,
where would I start looking?
Never mind the ridiculous cost. Quality trumps.
What I noticed to have the most influence on shades using zirconia, and that's really what your talking about, matching the shade and Value. You must get the correct shade in the core shade from the get-go.
If your core shade is darker than the actual shade, your shade will be off because porcelain is so translucent. If your doing light 3D shades and the value is off/core shade dark, your dentin shade will never match in the hue or value.
The majority of my anterior crowns are in 3d and many times your better off using uncolored cores or using 1 to 2 shades lighter in value. I have found 3D shades are much harder to match and that is because the 3D shade guide is based on Value. Matching the chroma level is the easiest to match, but value trumps chroma.
If your having trouble matching shades, arrange your Classical shade guide in Value and use as guide for a better shade to use as the core shade. Learn to color better, and or change milling labs. There's a lot of zirconia frameworks being colored everyday whether it be frames or full contour that are still grey looking/lower value.
Yes there is a difference in translucency with different brands of zirconia, but shade/value of the core trumps everything.
I've never used Lava zirconia, but I did learn in 2011/2012 Weilands Zenostar's zirconia gave me better shades with my PFZ and with FCZ. Zenostar is made in multi-disk shades and starting out with a more correct shade that also comes closer in value as compared to coloring white zirconia and getting grey looking zirconia/lower value in all shades. Also started using BioZ zirconia in 2012 with BioZ liquids and found this combination gave better results and translucency than any other zirconia other than Zenostar, and I had tried many milling labs getting poor results. To be totally honest, I couldn't find a milling lab that didn't spit out grey looking zirconia.
2015, what is the most translucent zirconia for single unit PFZ, I'm loving Imagine and CubeX, its like layering emax using an ingot between an LT and HT. I can see labs doing more cases with slight Micro layering as another restoration on our growing all ceramic menu.
2015 for 4+ unit bridges, I want a stronger zirconia, and there are many to choose from including the newer pre-colored, but more importantly is who is doing the coloring. Techniques trumps materials assuming your using a reputable zirconia's like Zenostar, Jensen XT, Talladium, Lava, CAP, AG, Sagemax, TD, just to name a few.
