Selecting the best material image

SELECTING THE BEST MATERIAL

Selecting the best material for your patients can be challenging as a dentist. There are so many old and new materials that you can choose from. We at iDental Lab are pleased to help simplify your decision process! It all comes down to the patient’s oral conditions, preferences, expectations, and, finally, keeping in mind the cost. Contact us to discuss implant materials.

At the same time, we understand that some of your patient’s expectations and demands can be high and sometimes even unrealistic – which can make the decision process of choosing the best material for your patient a bit difficult. It is crucial to set the patient’s expectations from the beginning of the restoration procedures.

Here are some helpful factors to please keep in mind when selecting the best materials:

  1. Male or Female Patient – This is not a significant factor but can help determine the shape and characteristics.
  2. Age of the Patient – This is critical since younger teeth can be healthier and have a solid opaque shade. While older teeth have a lot more translucency (glass-looking), especially coming from deep inside the teeth.
  3. Final Shade – We will need to know this in order to determine the final material selection.
  4. Is the patient currently bleaching? If so, then you may want to wait a few months before selecting the final shade.
  5. Or has the patient ever bleached before? Then, most likely, we will not be able to use a single shade guide.
  6. Prepped shade (dentin shade) – If the dentin shade is closer to the final shade, selecting the best material can be more straightforward. If the shade is darker, we may have to eliminate certain materials such as e.max or Empress.
  7. Bite Condition – Some materials, such as e.max and Empress, may or may not be suitable for patients with bite conditions such as underbite, crossbite, or upper front teeth protrusion.
  8. Teeth Grinder – If your patient is a heavy teeth grinder, then we may have to compromise with shade selection and choose from our stronger materials, such as CAD-CAM Monolithic Zirconia, Full Gold Crown (FGC), or Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM) with Metal Occlusal.
  9. A final factor to consider: The Health of Teeth – Root canal teeth may or may not get darkened over time, even if it is a lighter shade at this present time. Therefore, E.Max or Empress may not be the most suitable selection for these patients.

Our recommendation for older patients would be Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM) with precious or semi-precious or Porcelain Fused to Zirconia (zirconia layered crowns and bridges); these may be the best choice for most conditions. For shade-conscientious patients, E.Max and Zirconia layered crowns would be the better choice, but they may not be suitable for each patient’s needs.

We hope this can help you and your patient! Please feel free to reach out and give us a call to discuss if you have any further questions. Please note that these general guidelines may not be suitable for all patients or conditions. iDental Lab is not responsible for the use of the wrong materials or products.