3M Oral Care has announced the introduction of 3M Lava Esthetic fluorescent full-contour zirconia, featuring a unique, built-in color technology that delivers shade match.
3M Lava Esthetic zirconia is the first cubic zirconia to offer toothlike fluorescence. A unique four-shading element formulation makes it the first preshaded zirconia to offer inherent fluorescence for all shades, as well as a true color match with Vita Classic shades.
Lava Esthetic zirconia delivers optimized translucency for esthetic full-contour crowns and three-unit bridges at a high strength of 800 MPa—higher than that of glass ceramics and other leading cubic zirconia materials. (i,ii) A 2016 study showed that restorations made of Lava Esthetic zirconia are wear-friendly against opposing enamel.
“Finally, an indirect restorative that does not compromise esthetics while providing high strength,” said David Hornbrook, DDS, FAACD, FACE, FASDA. “With Lava Esthetic zirconia, we can optimize strength, fit, and translucency, and since it is designed and milled in the dental laboratory, we achieve ideal contours, occlusion, and marginal integrity.” Hornbrook added, “With its fluorescence properties, Lava Esthetic interacts with light like natural teeth.”
Easy seating is another benefit to using Lava Esthetic zirconia. If minor adjustments are required, this material can be adjusted more easily than conventional zirconia. The high strength of Lava Esthetic zirconia allows for conventional, self-adhesive, or adhesive cementation. 3M recommends 3M RelyX 2 Unicem self-adhesive resin cement for use with Lava Esthetic zirconia because it combines high bond strength with ease of use and requires fewer steps without compromising reliability or esthetics. There is no need to etch or prime, which saves time and simplifies the workflow.
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“Lava Esthetic is the first zirconia to have toothlike fluorescence built into the material itself. This results in a restoration that looks like a natural tooth in any light,” said Jim Buchanan, 3M Oral Care director of national accounts. “Combined with an excellent shade match and high translucency, patients can now expect a highly esthetic, more natural-looking restoration.”
Dental labs using Lava Esthetic zirconia will experience a streamlined mill, sinter, and glaze production process with consistent, predictable outcomes, minus the guesswork. Using Lava Esthetic zirconia can save more than three hours since there is no need for shading liquids or drying time. More than two additional hours versus other zirconia materials can be saved in the sintering step. Due to its inherent natural fluorescence in any lighting condition—including daylight, sunshine, and black light—restorations will always look natural. No special fluorescent glaze is required.
The preshaded discs have an integral color gradient to deliver natural-looking shading from enamel to dentin and a true color match to the Vita Classic shades Bleach, A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B1, C1, and D2. The material is available in 98-mm discs with step format in 14-mm, 18-mm, and 22-mm heights.
Learn more about LavaEsthetic zirconia at 3m.com/LavaEsthetic.
Notes
i. Please refer to the instructions for use and details.
ii. Three-point bending strength according to ISO 6872:2015; qualified for Type II, class 4; indications: crowns, bridges with one pontic between two crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers
Source: 3M press release, 1 February 2017
