The Benefits of IPS e.max® Crowns
For over ten years, dental professionals all over the world have been using IPS e.max® for an assortment of dental products, including crowns. Lithium disilicate is a versatile material that can be used to restore both anterior and posterior teeth, can be used for full or partial coverage restorations, and can be bonded or cemented, making it a material that can have a place in most situations. Boasting the only lithium disilicate ceramic currently available for dentistry, IPS e.max® crowns are an ideal alternative to the crowns used in previous years.
In recent years, crowns were made mainly with Porcelain-fused-to-metal, also known as PFMs, or with a zirconia base. The PFMs have a dark metal base covered with a porcelain veneer, but oftentimes the opaque metal shows through the porcelain coating. Zirconia based crowns have a white substructure and are covered with ceramic. The substructure is so light that it can be difficult to tone down so that it does not show through the ceramic coating. Both of these options, while restoring the integrity of the tooth, leave much to be desired aesthetically for the patient.
Conversely, IPS e.max® crowns are either milled from a pre-manufactured block or pressed from a pre-manufactured ingot. Only one material is used, eliminating the need for covering up a dark base, like with the PFMs, or toning down a light substructure, as with the zirconia base crowns. Ivoclar Vivadent, the company behind IPS emax®, has also recently introduced the improved IPS Ivocolor universal shade and stain system, adding even more coloring options for IPS e.max® products. Since crowns should be both functional and aesthetic for the patient, this makes IPS e.max® crowns an ideal choice.
Another benefit of the IPS e.max® crowns is that they are stronger and less prone to chipping than other crowns, but are still easier to work with. Studies show that IPS e.max® has an overall survival rate of 96.6% in an oral environment. The average biaxial strength of IPS e.max® lithium disilicate is now 500MPa, which is a marked improvement from the previous 360MPa. This flexural strength allows IPS e.max® to be cemented where others must be bonded in place and Ivoclar Vivadent now recommends that as little as 1.0mm of material thickness be used for restorations that are minimally invasive and adhesively cemented.
Since it’s introduction over a decade ago, IPS e.max® remains one of the most studied and tested materials in the dental industry. It has an impressive track record of success and improvements are still being made. In fact, IPS e.max® has the longest history of success in all-ceramic restorations, making it the world leader. Over 100 million restorations have been placed since the introduction of IPS e.max®, and that number increases daily. IPS e.max® crowns are a product both you and your patients can rely on.