WHAT IS ZIRCONIUM?

Today, with ever increasing aesthetic demands, attention has been paid to the aesthetics of materials used in certain areas of the mouth. For this purpose, metal-supported porcelain has been used for many years. However, new alternatives have been sought as these systems don’t provide a natural appearance due to the lack of light permeability and cause allergic cases from time to time, as well as the gradual graying of the gums. For years, metal-supported substructures beneath porcelain teeth were used in known classic dental restorations. As this metal infrastructure has steadily detrimental effects on the gums, dental tissue, general body health and aesthetic appearance of the person, technologies that can be developed as an alternative to metal infrastructure have started to be researched and zirconium, which was used in other fields of medicine, has also been used in dentistry with its tissue-friendly feature. With the use of zirconium in dentistry, durability close to the metal infrastructure has been achieved. The fact that it doesn’t reflect under porcelain like other materials and does not cause discoloration on the gums and its resistance to corrosion has increased the use of zirconium. With this new zirconium infrastructure, the durability in the use of metal has been ensured, and thanks to the harmony with the biology and tissue of the person, allergic reactions seen in metals have been eliminated. Thanks to its light permeance feature, it has eliminated the aesthetic concerns of the teeth like natural teeth. In fact, some companies have preferred zirconium to titanium in the construction of dental implants and implant superstructure. Zirconium is also used in orthodontic brackets along with implants and implant superstructures. With the developing technology, the widespread use of computer-aided design and production (CAD-CAM applications) technology in dentistry has rendered the usage area of zirconium widespread.