Characterization of Residual Stresses in Veneering Ceramics for Prostheses with Zirconia Framework

Brazilian Dental Journal (2018) 29(4): 347-353 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-6440201801990 ISSN 0103-6440 Characterization of Residual Stresses in Veneering Ceramics for Prostheses with Zirconia Framework Vagner Flávio Reginato¹, Daniel Takanori Kemmoku², Ricardo Armini Caldas¹, Ataís Bacchi³, Carmem Silvia Pfeifer4, Rafael Leonardo Xediek Consani¹ The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE or α) and glass transition temperature (Tg) of three veneering ceramics used with zirconia frameworks of full-arch fixed prostheses. The generation of residual stresses and linear contraction after the simulation of the cooling process and mechanical loading were measured. The analysis was based on the finite element method in three-dimensional model of a maxillary full-arch fixed prosthesis with zirconia framework (e.max ZirCAD) and veneer by felsdpathic ceramics (GEC - IPS e.max Ceram, GVM - Vita VM9 and GLC Lava Ceram). The linear contraction simulation was performed by cooling the structures from the Tg of each veneer ceramic at room temperature (25°C). A loading of 100 N on the occlusal region of the first molar was performed. The magnitude of the maximum principal stress (smax) and linear contraction were evaluated. The levels of CTE mismatch between veneering ceramics and framework showed no relevant influence on smax and linear contraction. The Tg values of the veneer ceramic showed to be directly proportional to amount of smax and linear contraction. The GEC presented the highest values of smax and linear contraction. The GVM and GLC did not present significant differences between them. In conclusion, GVM was similar to GLC, while GEC presented differences in relation to other veneer ceramics in terms of residual stress and linear contraction. Introduction All-ceramic dental prostheses have been widely used due to the combination of aesthetic properties, flexural strength and biocompatibility (1). As an alternative for the metallic frameworks, the use of yttria-stabilized polycrystalline tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) has increased (2), due to its high resistance to fracture (3), and indication for manufacturing of frameworks for single, partial or full-arch fixed prostheses. However, the incidence of failures occurring in veneering ceramics on zirconia frameworks has been considered as an unsolved problem for the clinical success of this restoration type (4), presenting higher failure rates (6% to 15% in periods of 3 to 5 years) than those found for metal-ceramic prostheses (4% of failures after 10 years) (5). Generally, the clinical failures of bi-layered allceramic dental prostheses with zirconia frameworks are the fracture (chipping), cracking or delamination of the veneer ceramic (2,6,7). Several factors have been suggested as causes for fractures, cracks or delamination in veneer ceramics such as: thermal expansion mismatch between framework and veneer ceramic (8-10), excessive veneer ceramic thickness (6), inadequate geometry of the frameworks (not anatomical) promoting lack of support for the veneer ceramic (11-14), inadequate cooling protocol (15-17) and ¹Department of Prosthodontics and Periodontology, Piracicaba Dental School, UNICAMP – Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil ²CTI Renato Archer - Centro de Tecnologia da Informação Renato Archer, Campinas, SP, Brazil ³Department of Prosthodontics, IMED - Faculdade Meridional, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil 4Department of Restorative Dentistry, Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA Correspondence: Rafael Leonardo Xediek Consani, Av. Limeira, 901, 13414-903, Piracicaba, SP, Brasil. Tel: +55-19-2106-5296. e-mail: Key Words: veneer ceramic, finite element analysis, dental implant, complete denture, zirconia. improper firing process (18). It is possible for clinicians and technicians to control some variables such as ceramic thickness, anatomical frameworks, cooling protocol, and a suitable firing process. However, one of the factors considered as the main responsible for the failures in clinical conditions is the residual stress between framework and veneer ceramic occurred during the firing process, which depends also on some properties of the materials (9). This stress has been credited to difference in the CTE of the zirconia and of the veneer ceramic because the structures do not contract in the same proportion (19). It is important also to note that the CTE of the ceramics is measured in degrees, thus the Tg of each ceramic must be taken into account as a factor that will influence the final contraction value of the ceramics (7,20). The stress generated in the firing cycle of each coating layer of the veneer ceramic is not considered as a significant factor for the prostheses contraction due to the heating of the next firing process, which relief the residual stress of the previous layer. Therefore, it has been alleged that the residual stress related to cracking, fracture or delamination of this type of prostheses is associated to the last firing process (17). In general, it has been suggested for bi-layered allceramic dental prostheses that the CTE of the framework V. F. Reginato et al. Braz Dent J 29(4) 2018 is slightly higher that of the veneer ceramic (ɑ framework -ɑ veneer =+△ɑ) (7,9,10); however, few studies have been published with the main purpose of to determine the limit values of CTE mismatch (7,9). The thermal compatibility of bi-layered all-ceramic dental prostheses was evaluated by measuring the deflection of disks varying the △ɑ from -3.7 to 3.8 ppm /°C-1 between framework and veneer ceramic. In this previous study was observed that the deflection of the disks is related to the values of thermal incompatibility between framework and veneer ceramic; however, the same happened for the control group in a lower value (characterized by the combination of ceramics indicated by the manufacturer). The authors alleged that even the manufacturer’s recommended value would not be sufficient to predict the compatibility between framework and veneer ceramic (21). The size of the framework may influence the amount of stress, and it is possible that frameworks used for fullarch implant-supported all-ceramic rehabilitation tend to provide different magnitude of stresses than single crowns; however, this type of rehabilitation has not yet been evaluated in the literature. It is worth mentioning that the prostheses acting as a support structure also receive masticatory loads; therefore, not only the residual stress from the manufacturing process is a significant factor on the compatibility between framework and veneer ceramic, but also the tensions generated by the mastication effort. For a better understanding of these interactions, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the CTE mismatch and Tg between zirconia framework and veneer ceramic in the residual stre (...truncated)