A pre-shaded ZrO.sub.2 block (e.g., a monochromatic block or polychromatic block) is sequentially infiltrated with a yttrium-containing solution at one porous surface and with water at a second porous surface to make a polychromatic/polytranslucent ZrO.sub.2 block.

A curable composition containing a radical-polymerizable monomer and a hard solid component having a volume average particle diameter of 10 nm or greater and 1,000 nm or less is provided. The content of the hard solid component is 3% by volume or greater and 40% by volume or less. The difference (n.sub.1−n.sub.2) between the refractive index (n.sub.1) of a cured product of any other component than the hard solid component and the refractive index (n.sub.2) of the hard solid component is 0.04 or greater.

A curable composition is provided. The curable composition contains a multifunctional urethane (meth)acrylate monomer (component 1), a (meth)acrylate monomer (component 2), and an inorganic filler (component 3). A mass content ratio (component 1:component 2) of the component 1 to the component 2 is from 65:35 through 40:60.

A curable composition is provided. The curable composition contains a multifunctional urethane (meth)acrylate monomer (component 1), a (meth)acrylate monomer (component 2), and an inorganic filler (component 3). A mass content ratio (component 1:component 2) of the component 1 to the component 2 is from 65:35 through 40:60.

Metal-containing methacrylates incorporated into polymeric materials with antimicrobial capacity for biomedical applications, and more particularly for dental purposes, are provided. The incorporation of metal-containing methacrylates such as calcium methacrylate, tin methacrylate, copper methacrylate, silver methacrylate, in combination or alone, for potentializing antimicrobial effect of cements, in particular, to biomaterial compositions including metal containing methacrylates, such as calcium, tin, copper, silver, nickel, titanium and iron methacrylates, in the formulation of biomaterials for applications in human health provides advantages, particularly in dentistry, and allows for expressive antimicrobial activity to dental compositions, so as to be useful in dental prosthesis, operative dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, implantodontics, and endodontics.

Metal-containing methacrylates incorporated into polymeric materials with antimicrobial capacity for biomedical applications, and more particularly for dental purposes, are provided. The incorporation of metal-containing methacrylates such as calcium methacrylate, tin methacrylate, copper methacrylate, silver methacrylate, in combination or alone, for potentializing antimicrobial effect of cements, in particular, to biomaterial compositions including metal containing methacrylates, such as calcium, tin, copper, silver, nickel, titanium and iron methacrylates, in the formulation of biomaterials for applications in human health provides advantages, particularly in dentistry, and allows for expressive antimicrobial activity to dental compositions, so as to be useful in dental prosthesis, operative dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, implantodontics, and endodontics.

A process for providing fluoresence to a dental ceramic body by treating at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or a precursor thereof with a bismuth containing substance, characterized by the steps of placing the dental ceramic body or the precursor thereof into a closeable container, in particular a crucible; generating a bismuth containing atmosphere in the container and exposing at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or of the precursor to the bismuth containing atmosphere at a temperature above 1000° C.

A process for providing fluoresence to a dental ceramic body by treating at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or a precursor thereof with a bismuth containing substance, characterized by the steps of placing the dental ceramic body or the precursor thereof into a closeable container, in particular a crucible; generating a bismuth containing atmosphere in the container and exposing at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or of the precursor to the bismuth containing atmosphere at a temperature above 1000° C.

A method for manufacturing a zirconia sintered body includes molding a powder composition that has a yttria content of more than 3% by mole and 5.2% by mole or less and that contains a first zirconia powder having a yttria content of 2% by mole or more and 4% by mole or less and a second zirconia powder having a yttria content of more than 4% by mole and 6% by mole or less to obtain a green body, and sintering the green body to obtain a sintered body.

The invention relates to a set of porous zirconia dental mill blanks comprising at least two differently colored porous zirconia dental mill blanks, the porous zirconia dental mill blanks comprising zirconia, yttria, coloring ions, and optionally alumina, comprising multiple layers with different yttria content, having a bottom layer and a top layer, the content of yttria and coloring ions in mol % changing in opposite direction to each other from the bottom layer to the top layer, and the content of yttria and coloring ions in mol % being adjusted to provide an essentially constant ratio of the sum of yttria and coloring ions in mol % between the top layer and the bottom layer for the at least two differently colored zirconia dental mill blanks. The invention also relates to a process of producing such a set.