Songpa-gu Dental Implant Prostheses: Why Zirconia?

Hello, I’m Shin Seung-hwan, the director of Yonsei U-Line Dental Clinic, Songpa Branch, located near Garak Market Station in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu.

Today, I’d like to talk about zirconia, which is widely used for implant prostheses.

This will be helpful for anyone wondering what advantages zirconia has compared with conventional prosthetic materials.

In the past, implants were used mainly for molars, so gold prostheses were commonly used.

Gold was used for a long time because it is strong and can be processed with precision.

However, gold also has disadvantages.

Because it is a metal, the material itself is relatively soft, so its shape may become distorted over time.

Most importantly, gold is quite expensive.

Because implants have a different structure from natural teeth, the prosthesis must be made thicker.

Making the entire prosthesis from gold increases the financial burden and also makes the fabrication process more complicated.

Gold is processed using a casting method, so if it is too thick, air bubbles may form inside or the precision may decrease.

To address these disadvantages, PFM prostheses, which combine porcelain (ceramic) bonded to metal, were also used.

They looked like natural teeth on the outside and had metal on the inside, so their strength was reasonably good.

However, with prolonged use, the porcelain on the surface may gradually chip, exposing the metal underneath.

This was especially likely to happen in areas subjected to strong chewing forces, such as the molars.

As prosthetic materials continued to develop, zirconia is now widely used.

It began to be used in earnest about 10 years ago.

I also began applying zirconia prostheses to implants around 10 years ago, and since then, treatment has become much more straightforward.

This is because zirconia has a natural tooth color and excellent aesthetics.

It is highly durable and does not break easily.

Its smooth surface makes it less prone to plaque or tartar buildup.

It also has a very favorable response from the gums.

Unlike metal, zirconia causes almost no inflammatory response where it comes into contact with the gums, and when scaling is performed during regular checkups, there is also much less plaque buildup.

This is not something patients directly notice, but after treating implants for many years, these differences become quite clear.

Another major advantage is that the fabrication process is digitalized.

In the past, if a prosthesis did not fit quite right, remaking or adjusting it from the beginning was inconvenient.

Now, the prosthesis can be digitally designed based on scan data, and even minor adjustments can be made much more quickly and precisely.

Because zirconia offers many advantages in terms of aesthetics, strength, gum health, and maintenance, if you are considering implants, I recommend having a consultation to check whether a zirconia prosthesis is suitable for you.