Thickness and Fracture Toughness Relationship in Ceramic Partial Restorations

Due to the increasing concerns about the aesthetic and biocompatibility of dental restorations. Ceramic materials were developed in response to this increasing demand of tissue preservation, aesthetic and resistance to fracture. However a major drawback is their high clinical failure rate in posterior sites This publication describes the effect of thickness and type of material on the resistance fracture of ultra-thin ceramic restoration. The restorative phase of the treatment should not cause additional damage of the residual tooth structure. Ultrathin restorations (veneers, onlays, inlays) are considered as an alternative to traditional onlays and complete crowns. the technical aspects required for the success and the good prognosis of those new restorative design based on the control of tooth preparation with diagnostic wax-up, provisionalization, and the use of CAD-CAM technology.